Crossroad Blues
by MikeScofield-is-2-hot
Summary: Denial.Anger.Bargaining.Depression.Acceptance. When Hermione finds herself in an unbreakable Deal she must fulfill her end of the bargain, no matter the consequences. After she holds some vital information on a murder plot she finds herself tangled in it.
1. Denial

**Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P **

**Crossroad Blues**

_  
"You're dead."_

"_What?"_

"_Well, not dead, but dying."_

"_This can't be happening."_

Prologue:

_I was only vaguely aware of the voices around me. I felt light, yet heavy at the same time as the unfamiliar feeling of being carried overtook my mind. I felt my own dead weight and could hear the effort in their voices and breaths as they carried me off._

_I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. One minute I was walking out of Gringotts after making a deposit and the next—nothing! I tried to breathe but I was compressed because of the way they carried me, as well as the obvious fact that my lungs were being crushed by my ribcage._

_This wasn't like me to not know what was happening. If I didn't, I would demand to know. __**THINK Hermione!**__I urged my conscious to respond but nothing happened, it was dark, the noises were too unfamiliar and crowded, I couldn't derive anything from it. And then—I was flying through the air._

_They'd thrown me! I felt the wind whistle past me annoyingly and then I landed harshly in freezing waters with a slap and then the absence of sound filled my ears. I blacked out._

Stage One: Denial

When I woke up I had a pounding headache. I sat up in my cozy warm bed and realized I'd thrown the sheets around. What a horrible dream. The smell of my breath was overwhelming so I got up and yawned, itching my side as I made my way to the bathroom. I did my morning routine which consisted of a bath, brushing of the teeth and hair, applying makeup so pitifully it would've made Ginny cry (she did every time she saw me at the Ministry) and finally putting on simple clothes for the day: a button up dark blue blouse and black pencil skirt, and I reluctantly put my high heels beside the rest of my things so that I put them on when I apparated—no use in killing my feet earlier than usual right?

I drank disgusting coffee that I made out of a muggle coffee maker and scanned the front page of the Prophet before tucking it under my arm and cramming a half-toasted English muffin in my mouth. I gingerly slipped into the heels and grabbed my coat with my free hand (the other grabbed a suitcase) and I glanced at the Grandfather clock, cursing myself for being late. I thought of the Ministry while turning on the spot, a little difficult in heels...

I practically ran down the Atrium, bumping into too many people, they didn't seem to care and neither did I. Many stepped on my toes as I got into the lifts, squeezing myself in beside Seamus. He was reading the paper and didn't notice me walk in. He got off on a different level and I hurriedly finished my breakfast, swallowing the giant lump painfully.

Once I arrived at my department, I noticed it was nearly empty; they were all hurrying into the conference room. I swore (not any lurid words—it is **me **after all) and squeezed myself into the full room. It was stiflingly hot with every member of the Department in that room. I fanned myself with the Prophet copy and tried to catch what the Head was saying. He was speaking of important matters that needed to be addressed including: Wild Hippogriff breeding in the north and the illegal trade of the highly rare Winged Horses. The list of things went on and the Head (Marcus Appleton) spoke in a chopped but rapid manner, his thoughts overloading even his own brain. I heard the scratching of quills as many tried to take down notes if it applied to their section of the Department.

Once the meeting was over I pushed my way to the front, treading on a few feet, and I mumbled apologies.

"Sir, Mr. Appleton!" I practically yelled over the noise everyone was making now that the meeting was over. He apparently didn't hear me and left the room, disappearing in the crowd. I stomped my foot, just about shattering the heel of my foot with the accursed shoes.

For the rest of the day I spoke to no one, and worked ahead so that I could set up dates and meetings for Ginny and myself to meet with various witches to discuss her wedding. I was her Maid of Honour and the Planner (I'd scared the first one away by being my obsessive-compulsive self). Ginny and Harry became engaged a year and a half later, after the fall of Voldemort. Now, three years after their graduation from Hogwarts they all had successful and fruitful lives. I couldn't even begin to discuss my discontent of not having to complete our seventh year; McGonagall had given us, the 'graduating' class the signed approvals from the Ministry on having graduated.

The rest of the students had been glad to not have been pressured by the N.E.W.T.S; I'd secretly sent a letter to my teachers asking them if they could allow me to do the test. Ron had blown a gasket when he caught me. Even though all seemed well I did not forget all the sadness and death that had come from the battle.

While I was up late one night in my and Ginny's flat, I'd been sitting by the window, looking at the moon when Harry walked downstairs. He was rubbing his eyes. He'd worn his boxers and was shirtless. He'd grabbed a grey t-shirt and put it on, I turned away, he was my best friend but I was still a woman. He'd asked me what was wrong and I smiled half-heartedly and told him of how I couldn't get that night out of my head.

"I still see their faces Hermione. Every time I close my eyes, they're there. Waiting for me beyond the Veil; they call to me and tell me that it's not time yet." He whispered, his voice, giving away the sadness and deep emotion he was feeling.

"Not time for what?" But I knew the answer already, we were both whispering and we were leaning close, heads almost touching.

"Not time for me to die yet. But I see him everywhere Hermione. The Grim Reaper, scythe and black hood like a Dementor. Waiting for me on the edge of living; he's pretty pissed off too. I mean I have cheated him out of my soul about seven times now…" He chuckled and made me laugh too.

Harry had never been the same after that night and Ginny was doing her best to be brave enough for both of them. After the mass funerals, I had set my mind, I would focus on my work and the friends around me but I would detach myself from any emotional connection.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair (an action I regretted for it instantly got tangled in it); I tried to comb it down with my fingers, embarrassed, just as a colleague went by. He made a move to put something on my desk but stopped; he looked right at me and then turned to ask my co-worker in the cubical beside me.

"Is Granger in today?"

This was odd. Or maybe it was a joke—I was often the last to discern sarcasm from fact. I laughed with a bored and uninterested manner at the joke.

"Ha ha, I'm right here, what do you need?" I turned in my chair to face him but he ignored me.

"No I haven't seen her at all this morning. Shall I owl her, is it urgent?" She asked the man, he shook his head.

"Not as urgent as the papers for her promotion are. I can't believe it, why should she get promoted, she's hardly noticeable." He scoffed and I felt my jaw drop, how _rude_! I was sitting right there!

"Excuse you!" I said in my loud voice, the voice I would raise in a crowded room so that I could draw attention to myself—it was a great way to grab attention if you needed help on the street. He continued to ignore me—in fact, the whole office was still going to and fro, doing their daily routines. I stood.

"I know, she needs to get that broomstick out of her arse before she moves up the ladder, it's really quite unfair, I mean why couldn't the promotion had gone to someone more…_sociable_?" That little _bitch_!

I help defeat the Dark Lord and am best friends with the man who did and _this_ is what I'm talked about being? I strode right up to the man and glared at him, he seemed to look right through me. He then shrugged and spoke with the girl about a meeting later that day in the boardroom in the lower levels and then he stalked off, pushing past me as if I wasn't there.

Wasn't I? Was I dreaming? I laughed. Of course I'm dreaming, this is just like in school with the Boggart! It couldn't be real I mean, the office had to be playing a joke. Was it my birthday again? God that was embarrassing last year—I hadn't even realized they tried to throw me a party but I'd been there for the whole night and then I stupidly asked why they were decorating my cubical.

I nodded, it was like that time, I laughed and spoke loudly again, waving my arms like a lunatic. "Ha ha that was a nice joke everyone! That really had me going for a while."

No one looked at me. My smile slowly died away and then I was fed up after a few more people bumped into me but they seemed to carry on as if I wasn't in their way in the first place. I marched right up to the Head—I gulped for what I was about to do—and slapped him right across the face. He didn't take any notice but continued to write animatedly while his secretary walked in and placed more papers on his desk.

I knocked the papers off and watched for a reaction—there was none—and when I looked at the desk again the parchments were in a neat stack. I felt my heart stop as numb realization hit me. This isn't happening, this is a dream, and I'm going to go back home and crawl into my bed and wait to wake up. This isn't real. It's not.

I wasn't a fan of the cowardly hiding-under-the-covers bit but this wasn't really happening so I could be a chicken in my dreams. I ran from the office, not grabbing my things because they weren't actually there…right? I doubled back and retrieved them just in case this wasn't a dream and the office _was_ playing a joke. Did this mean my promotion was off the table, for slapping my supervisor? Did that count as harassment in the workplace? I mean wouldn't it count if it were by magic? I stopped running and calmed my mind. It was racing faster than my feet.

I closed my eyes tightly and thought of my bed and in a second I was there. I threw off my godforsaken heels and jumped into the bed, throwing the covers over my head, too hard so that the bottom half flipped up and my waist down was exposed.

I curled up and shut my eyes. This was a horrible dream. I know I'm persistent, I occasionally nag in Ron's case, but did that warrant the silent treatment from everyone at work? I willed my mind to rest, to sleep but it didn't come. And I didn't wake up.

A day and a half later I was still in that bed, in the same position. I had to face the facts, I was not dreaming. I head a noise downstairs but I didn't bother to move, they would probably ignore her like everyone else.

"Hermione are you home?" Ginny called from somewhere in the flat. I didn't make a sound. I heard her approach the door and push it open. She looked around and her eyes scanned right over me but looked as if they hadn't seen me. I moved and pushed the covers off but Ginny sat on the bed, saddened. She fiddled with her fingers and whispered a conversation. Ginny often did this, to prepare what she would say to the person before confronting them. I moved away from the head of my bed and sat beside her. I put my arm around her but it didn't make any difference.

"Hermione, guess what? No that sounds stupid…I, well me and Harry love each other very much and…that sounds like I'm talking to a child!" She battled with herself to find the right words. She couldn't come up with anything coherent and I felt sad, Ginny was a fighter, through and through. She stood up and faced the mirror.

"You've been so good to me, I cannot imagine a better best friend, you're like my sister and now I know I won't be alone—I mean I've got Harry of course, and my mother will throw a fit when she finds out, but you're the person I wanted to tell first." She put her hand on her stomach and my eyes were wide. I couldn't believe it, Ginny was pregnant! Harry you bugger, I can't believe you couldn't wait for a few months; you're both out of control _sexual_ animals! I felt like shouting all this with a euphoric happiness with Ginny, a moment of sisterly bonding but I wasn't there.

I got up and went to hug her, I felt silent tears streak down my face at her non-responsiveness. When I pulled away I heard her whisper: "Where are you?" and then she'd apparated. After that day I received a few more visitors and they were all beginning to worry about where I was. I began to wonder that too, but I was in such a state of depression, convinced it was all a dream that I didn't leave my bed except for water or washroom breaks—but did I really need those too?

***

A week after Ginny's visit Harry came back with Ron (they'd gone every day after Ginny had spoken to my 'empty' room) and Ginny herself was scolding the Aurors and investigators when they got too personal in her flat.

"Get AWAY from that drawer!" I shouted, but it was useless, I punched and kicked the Auror but he didn't feel any of it, he pulled the crappy wooden drawer open (he needed to really tug—I should've gotten the dresser replaced…) and he got a full view of my underwear and bras. I flushed deeply and tried desperately to shut it. He smirked and I kicked him again. He pushed aside my things with his wand and saw the bottom.

"Oh no…stop, stop looking, Ginny!" I flung myself onto the ground in despair. He'd discovered my secret papers, I was an _avid_ reader and so my imagination willed me to write my own stories. I covered my face, willing for them to leave.

"Hey! Patinskey, get out of there, there's nothing to see on this side of the room." Ginny yelled, red around her ears out of anger like Ron, she grabbed the papers and put herself between Patinskey and the private section of my room. I sighed in relief. Stupid Patinskey got up and grumbled, he left the room and went to explore my bathroom. I smiled at Ginny and she made a move only I would have noticed. She put one hand on her growing stomach and closed her eyes, her other hand at her mouth. She was probably experiencing her morning sickness.

Ginny was dressing smartly, wearing one of my button-up shirts (I was fatter than that skinny Weasley after all, she insisted I wasn't but I told her to stuff it), and black pants with high heels (Ginny lived for those wretched things) and a trench coat-style beige jacket that was unbuttoned. Her hair was wavy and in my opinion, was gorgeous, but in Ginny's book it looked horrible. I could tell when she was stressed, and the added baggage of a baby didn't help. Harry walked over and she put on a fake smile and acted as though she were fine. I stood between them, shaking my head at his naivety and her ability to fool her fiancé.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at my notes, I moaned in embarrassment as he read a few lines, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a struggle as he wanted to smile but respect me at the same time. "I didn't know Hermione wrote…things…" I wanted to punch him square in his face, break his nose and probably his glasses too…I wouldn't fix them too! I elbowed him, knowing he wouldn't feel it and grumbled at his expressions as he read. Ginny snatched the papers back and stuffed them all back in the drawer and sealed it.

"This is off limits. What does Hermione's underwear have to do with her going missing?"

"I'm not sure Gin, I mean she wouldn't just take off like that, no note, all her things here and accounted for. I don't want to come to the conclusion that everyone is coming too."

Suddenly Ron walked into the room looking tired, as if he hadn't had any sleep lately, he used his wand to levitate something; a gun. I gasped, while the others looked at it with blank, incomprehension.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"I dunno, I'm getting it down dad's office, he'll know what to do with it. Are you staying for a while longer?" He asked the two of them. Harry shrugged and Ginny nodded.

"I need to clear some of her things so that those Auror pricks don't go through them. I'll probably be back at the Ministry in time for the meeting." She put her hands in her pockets and brought them slightly forward, to further hide her stomach. Oh Ginny, you're so subtle anyway I don't even think they'd realize, and if Ron did figure out that when two people are in love they usually do _something_ that leads to a baby, he would probably kill (maybe hurt him a _lot_) Harry for deflowering his precious sister.

I looked more closely at Harry and Ron; they seemed to have aged since I was 'missing' Ron was even sporting a growing beard—I didn't like it, I would have told him to shave it but he wouldn't have heard me—and Harry had a growing stubble of a few days growth. Ginny looked as if she'd gotten little sleep as well. I felt so bad for all of them, worrying when I was right there in front of them! This dream was really interesting. Very realistic…oh what's the use, if I'm going wonky and I'm trying to convince myself that I'm dreaming then I really have fallen off the wagon. I needed to send them a sign of some sort.

I grabbed my never-used lipstick and wrote on the small, dirty mirror.

_Harry, Ron, Ginny I'm here! I'm in the room. I don't know what's happening and I can see and hear you but you can't see me!_

It seemed useless because once I finished writing a word it was gone in the blink of an eye. I threw my head back in frustration. I started to shout their names, my voice getting caught in my throat. I sunk to my knees as the boys left with the Auror team and Ginny began to tidy up things and pack them.

"Gin, please don't clean, look at you, almost two months? You can't clean please…" My pleading fell on deaf ears. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I'm not here for you. I wish you could hear me. I didn't mean to steal your thunder by getting myself lost somewhere. But I guess with a baby on the way you stole the thunder right back." I chuckled, "that's you Ginny, a fighter. And I'm not, I give up. I'm giving up. The game's over."

"That's a shame; I thought we were just getting started!" Shouted a man and I jumped, screamed and stumbled as I tried to stand up again. "Hullo sweetheart!" He said obnoxiously with a wink. He didn't have a British accent and I couldn't place the one he had.

He had deep yellow eyes, warm yet frightening at the same time and he was devilishly handsome. He wore a crisp black suit and not one speck of the outfit was white. I noticed a red rose tucked in the breast pocket. He took off his fedora and smiled, his teeth were all pointed. "I don't have a forked tongue if that's what you're wondering." He said calmly, he placed his hat on my coat stand. He put his hands in his pockets and strode forward. I stumbled back, bumping into Ginny but she took no notice.

"Who are you? W-what's going on, why can't anyone see me?" The questions fell out of my mouth, as if I knew he would have all the answers.

"Hermione darling, you don't remember! Yes, the Deal can be a little jarring." He sounded disappointed that I didn't know who he was.

"Are we really going to have to relive—ha, sorry dear I couldn't help it—are we really going through this again?"

"Through what?"

"You're dead. And while you were walkin' along the path you arrived at the Crossroads—much to everyone's surprise. We were all sure that you'd be in His hands after your swim. But you had a task set forth by Our Supreme One. When I heard about your special case I just _had_ to have it. So I'm like your own personal guardian devil."

I gaped at his words. One set stuck out more. "I'm _dead_?"

"Well, not _technically_ dead, you're out there dy_ing_." He seemed to saying this as if it were an everyday occurrence. I couldn't believe it. The Devil? What? Deal?

"What Deal?"

"Well instead of Him coming to collect, He was a little busy; we got you first, as is the case with everyone who isn't ready to die yet. You didn't _want_ to die so you are in the process of doing so unless you complete the Deal in which case all life is restored to your body in one piece, shipping and handling etc. etc. fine print." He was waving his hand around and ticked the words off his fingers. I was hyperventilating. He rolled his eyes. "Oh not _this_ again, stop." He snapped his fingers and I instantly stopped. I was so shocked that I nearly fell over again. Ginny was gone by now…I was all alone.

"How did you…why? What is going on? What's the Deal?"

"I can because I _own_ your soul until you complete the Deal, if you break it then you're soul is locked forever in the dungeons of Hell, the deepest pit of the Earth and so on…" He was lighting his cigar that was conjured out of nowhere, "So will you be needing me to explain the Deal again?" He sounded bored and frankly, tired of my lack of knowledge on the subject. "You were going around being a know-it all and then you had to share something with everyone bla bla bla then you were on your way to being dead. But you were convinced that your time on Earth wasn't over yet so you bargained a Deal with me, and boy let me tell ya, you were one fiery—"

"What did I know? Why did I think it wasn't time yet?"

"**That** I cannot say due to legal binding contracts, warranty and insurance policies…" He puffed out some smoke into my face and I coughed, he placed the cigar back in his mouth and smiled, revealing his horrible teeth.

I was getting really frustrated with him, his voice was burrowing itself into my undead brain and it was somehow familiar.

"But in other words, you weren't the little weakling I see now, thanks to the after effects of the Deal."

"You still haven't told me what it is I promised to do." I said in a low and deadly voice. He smirked.

"We took the most pure of souls, okay you got that?" he seemed extremely excited to tell me…he looked at me and I blushed with embarrassment, so what if I was still a virgin? I'm not a whore…he continued, "And the most villainous of 'em. You agreed to make him worthy for life after death in Heaven with all the little bunnies and cotton candy. You agreed to guide his soul from his inevitable path to Hell to the 'righteous' track." He seemed to spit the Holy words from his mouth. "Our Supreme One decided to pick the guy because They're having a little fun—I mean it _has_ been over seven thousand years since the last one of these came up. It's rare to have a goody-goody soul dead and an evil one still living." He laughed and walked around my room, picking up various items and inspecting them. I was breathing heavily, trying to calm my nerves.

"What else?" I asked.

"You have," he checked his watch, "eight weeks. Otherwise his ass—and yours," he glanced down, "are burning in the Fires of Hell forever." He winked and then he vanished. I didn't even know who I was supposed to transform into being 'pure'. I grabbed my coat—not that it mattered—but I grabbed it along with my shoes and ran out of the house. I kept running, past people so fast that their faces turned to blurs and when I stopped I was outside the main entrance to the Ministry. Was I tied to my work so tightly that even if I tried to run away I would wind up back here?

I went in and walked around the whole Ministry trying to get someone's attention. I was shouting for hours until I gave up and sat at the Fountain of Magical Brethren. I threw my shoes into the water. I got up and closed my eyes; facing the water I clenched my hands into fists. I took a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Oi! Shut it will you? It's too early in the morning!" It was barely heard over the noise in the atrium but I heard it! Someone was talking to me! Right? I searched the sea of people for the voice. No one seemed to have heard him.

"Hullo! Can you hear me?" I screamed again.

"Yes." He said. He stood to the side of my line of vision. It was Malfoy. I groaned in despair. This couldn't be happening.

"_What _is your problem Granger? I know you tend to be a nutter some days but do us all a favor and save the drama." He was wearing a nice wizard suite and was holding his briefcase in one hand, the other tucked in his pocket, pushing his cloak back.

"Wait, wait, so you can definitely hear me?" I wasn't taking any chances. No one else seemed to take notice of Draco talking to thin air (he didn't know that of course, did he?)

I jumped into the water and resurfaced to find him still there, with a shocked and disgusted face—I was really coming off as a loony wasn't I?

"Granger what the fuck—"

"You can see me?"

"Yes, what the fuck is wrong with you?" He spit the words out of his mouth and he was about to walk away when I jumped out of the Fountain, nearly slipping on the stone floor.

"Wait! Wait for me, please." I shouted, running after him, he kept speed walking away from me through the crowd, determined to lose me. I pushed past all the people who weren't aware of my presence and squeezed into the lifts with him just as the cage slid shut. He rolled his eyes and scoffed at me following him. I wasn't soaking wet anymore and I smiled at my accomplishment of finding the Soul in my Deal.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily Malfoy. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

A/N: Hey you guys! I hope you're enjoying my other stories (please read them if you haven't and review!!) and This is gonna be a short piece, only 5 or 6 chapters and it's humor as you can see in the genre but also some romance lol obviously, you cant have Dramione without romance! OK so hope it wasn't too short (compared to **Fix You** lol) so yeah R&R and i will love you!! Ohyeah I'm gonna advertise a bit more :P my website is up, check out my profile and scroll down to the link, it's strictly for my stories here on fanfiction and I created pics out of photoshop to illustrate what I cannot describe or just for fun :P but yeah check it out and if you wanna leave comments on the pics/suggestions on what pics I should make if you cant understand something or just want a pic then leave them as reviews thanks! xoxox

PS!! The voice of the demon who holds Hermione's Deal in my mind I pictured Gilbert Gottfried! (Aka voice of Iago in Aladdin, or the Beatle in Thumbelina) his voice is AWESOME lol and yeah i was rewatching Supernatural lately and my mind wandered off Jared and Jensen (Shocking i know) and I came up with this idea! So yeah R&R!

**A/N: UPDATED: Hey all, i've gone through and edited stuff and:  
1) What genre do you think this is? :S Mystery/Romance or Comedy/Romance or something else/Romance? Please let me know so I can update it in the right catagories!!!  
2) My website didnt work out so I got a Deviant ID instead: ****.com/**** please check it out, and i will add more pics soon!  
3) R&R!!! 3**


	2. Anger

**Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P **

**Crossroad Blues**

"_LISTEN TO ME!"_

"_Son of a bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you!"_

Stage Two: Anger

The paper airplanes above my head were distracting and I found myself wondering why I had never noticed them before—_because you only think of work_—where did _that_ come from? Was I really a workaholic? _Well...we all know the answer to that one_ I thought triumphantly as I crossed my arms over my chest, smiling smugly. Malfoy eyed me with a look and my smile instantly disappeared.

"What?" I asked, my arms dropping slowly to their sides; I could feel the heat of embarrassment on my cheeks as he stared at me intensely.

"Nothing." He muttered; a wizard beside him looked at Malfoy, thinking he'd spoken to him, but the majority of the lift remained engrossed in their papers and waiting until the cool voice of the woman announced each floor.

Draco stayed on the lift, passing the first level where the Minister for Magic and Support Staff were situated. The lift slowly rattled down, deeper into the Ministry. We passed the Departments of: Magical Law Enforcement (where Ron, Harry, Seamus, and Dean amongst others worked. It was also where I worked, after continuing my S.P.E.W efforts, in the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects—try saying _that_ ten times fast, which Ron later attempted); Magical Accidents and Catastrophes (where you would sometimes find a drunken Ron on a Friday evening); The Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (where I knew Luna worked as a magizoologist. The last time we all had dinner she'd come with a fellow by the name of Rolf Scamander who also worked in the Department with her); International Magical Cooperation (where you would _never_ find Ron); Magical Transportation; I was now getting curious as to where Malfoy worked in the Ministry and what he did; we continued past the Department of Magical Games and Sports (where you were most likely to find a bored Ron sneaking out of the Auror office five floors above); and the Atrium on Level Eight before we finally arrived at our destination. All that was left were the Wizengamot Courtrooms below on Level Ten. I was shocked.

"The Department of Mysteries?" I nearly shouted with shock. He looked at me with a passive face that revealed nothing and he gave me what seemed like a shrug before exiting the lift with the one other man who also worked there. Both men were silent—as it was expected from an Unspeakable...but _Draco?! _I found it hard to believe that he could hold such a prestigious job and not brag about it. I was amazed that Kingsley had enough faith in the reformed son of a Death Eater to make him a part of the Department of Mysteries—Merlin knows there were Death Eater spies in the days of Voldemort in this particular Department. I hurried along behind him to catch up, my blasted heels making a racket.

It was as silent as a tomb—no...it was quieter than that. I shuddered as I remembered the last time I'd been in this part of the Ministry; when we'd battled Death Eaters at fifteen—sixteen for me but still—where we were attacked by things in the rooms themselves...Where Sirius died...I found that I'd stopped but Draco carried on like I wasn't even there.

With renewed vigour I sprinted—or what could be considered sprinting in a constricting pencil skirt and heels—and Draco stopped and spun around so abruptly I ran into his chest. It was a nice chest...nice and...sculpted...I shook my head to clear these blasphemous thoughts. He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and I felt a fleeting wave of...something...I don't really know how to describe it because I'd never felt it before. I felt as if he were going to shove me against the wall and devour me with passionate kisses as he hand would ride up my raised thigh, slowly pushing back my skirt—DAMN THOSE ROMANCE NOVELS! Ginny thought it would be funny to purchase some muggle romance novels when we were in a bookshop one day and I begrudgingly agreed—"You need some of this Hermione." She'd said with a wink. Well damn you and _your_ existing sex-life Ginny Potter.

"Will you keep quiet?" He hissed, checking the hallways to see if anyone was there—if it was normal for the dark corridors to be empty then we were fine.

I looked at him defiantly trying to break free of his grip—where he would then renew his grip on my arms and lift me up and carry me away to a conveniently-placed room and bed—Oh God...I really need to burn those damned books—which would go against my belief of Not Harming Books, but those things were just evil.

"You're not supposed to be down here, but if Tander didn't question you with me in the lift then he's just going to assume I'm showing you around the Department as a new recruit. You have to keep your head down and your mouth shut and if anyone asks you say nothing."

"He didn't notice me because I'm not really here." I corrected, crossing my arms awkwardly with his still gripping my upper arms. His thumbs were pressed against my breasts and he released me like I was a scalding mug of bubbling mud—_blood_ my brain supplied the end even though I hadn't indented on making a comparison like that.

"Keep quiet and stay close." He said in a low voice that made me take a hesitant step back. He walked briskly down the hall and entered through a door, holding it open for me—or at least what _I _thought was door-holding considering I ran and squeezed myself in at the last second.

We were in the circular chamber with the bajillion doors that led to different dooms. It seemed colder in here than in the corridors, despite the lack of air circulation. The door we'd entered through shut behind us with a determined slam, sealing us into the room. My breathing became slightly heavy as the room spun, changing the doors. Draco seemed unperturbed and checked his fingernails as he waited. Once the rotation was complete he moved left and confidently opened another door. Nostalgic memories of marking the doors with green Xs resurfaced and I felt queasy. I bent over slightly, my hands on the slippery fabric of my skirt, my hair covering my face. There was an annoyed sigh and when I looked up I saw Draco impatiently waiting for me, holding the door open with his back.

"Any century now Granger." He sighed, gesturing with his briefcase.

I gathered my courage and quickly walked through the door.

The Department of Mysteries was strange; one minute it's as quiet as a nun who vowed silence and the next it's bustling with activity—perhaps it was because on my last excursion here it had been after-hours? I watched the people disappear into different corridors that intersected the large one we currently traversed. Draco strode through the mass with authority while I struggled and tried to keep up. I grabbed onto his robes and smiled in relief as he dragged me along.

I was shocked to see so many people working for the DoM, I made a mental note to ask Draco later, as soon as we were out of the mass. But despite the amount of people it was somehow still quiet, their feet and robes did all the talking, the people themselves carried sullen expressions and tired eyes as they made their way about the corridors to their hidden offices.

Draco turned left, right, right, right, left, left, and one more left before reaching his office—I was still dizzy from the spinning room and the turns in hallways were more like rounded bends, adding to my queasiness. He opened the door and walked in; I followed, but stopped as soon as I saw the clutter. I felt an ache in my heart—I _hated_ clutter.

Papers littered every surface—and I think there was another desk where his co-worker had dumped all of his belongings as well. He had picture frames on the desk and wall where they peaked out from under pinned papers. Draco had nothing but papers and folders on his desk; it was a huge pile, in danger of falling over. There were more mismatched papers in the IN basket than in the OUT. I let my eyes scan the rest of the medium-sized office that looked much smaller because of the mess. The coat rack held five robes, three hats and a pair of shiny, black shoes tied by their laces. My jaw dropped slightly in disbelief, shoes? _Shoes_? ON A COAT RACK?! My head was going to explode. If I wasn't already in the process of dying I would surely have dropped dead from the sight of this room. On the floor there were various wrappings of food and sweets, the trash bins had already overflowed with empty coffee cups and brown parcel wrappings. There were balls of rolled up parchment of various sizes and what I dreaded to be owl droppings in the corner. In my amazement I took note that the room did not—shockingly—smell.

Draco pulled off his cloak and draped it on top of another cloak that was wrinkled and forgotten. He pushed back the chair with his foot and set his briefcase on the desk on top of the papers. In annoyance he shoved some piles to the floor—my knees nearly gave out. He turned in his chair to retrieve a paper off the wall and scoffed, smiling at the post-it stuck to it. He reached for his quill and ink-pot concealed in an over-stuffed drawer and rewrote something, sticking it over the other post-it. He made a move to get up but seeing as I was already there to serve him he stuck the paper out at me.

"Put this on his desk." He smiled, although I was pretty sure it was about the post-it. I glanced down as I snatched it from him angrily and my eyes widened. He had written an obscene thing I will not repeat, over his co-worker's equally-if-not-less obscene thing. I put it on the opposite desk as perpendicular to the desk as I could get it without seeing the edges and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room on a small patch of black tile visible under the mess.

A minute later his co-worker appeared. It was Blaise Zabini.

"Why is the entire Slytherin House working in the Department of Mysteries? Does Kingsley trust you all _that_ much?" I protested when he walked in and draped his cloak over Draco's. Draco answered hotly without looking up: "No you're just too goody for the dark nature of the Mysteries."

Blaise seemed to think this was directed at him. "What?" He was halfway into his chair when he spotted the note. He smirked and threw it across the room. He had two coffees with him and levitated the second to Draco who accepted it.

"Nothing." Draco replied, setting the cup down. Then scratching of his quill was the only noise for a moment before Blaise sighed dramatically.

He stretched back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. Draco glanced up. "What is it?"

"I think we've done a decent job today." Blaise replied with a wink. I looked from Draco to Blaise and back with confusion.

"Where do you have in mind?" Draco asked, a sneaky smile playing across his lips. I was eager and still confused. "Where what?" I asked despite my renowned self-control.

"Butt out." Draco sneered and Blaise looked confused. I stomped over and knocked over a stack of papers—with hesitation—and they reappeared on the desk as if I hadn't touched them. He barely glanced at my outburst. I reached out and knocked over the cup of coffee. Draco jumped up as the scalding drink drenched the papers and his lap.

"Son of a bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you!" He shouted, scaring me, I stumbled back and bumped into Blaise's desk. He was perplexed.

"What's wrong mate?" He asked, he clearly noticed the cup I knocked over. I smiled triumphantly at finally being noticed.

"Ah, Fuck." He swore as he pulled his shirt away from his skin. He pulled out his wand and cleaned the shirt and pant before glaring daggers at me. I was already against the desk and I had nowhere else to go but out the door. He lunged forward but Blaise held him back.

"What's wrong! Malfoy! Listen to me!" He grabbed Draco by the front of his robes as I cowered behind Blaise's desk, my nose and eyes visible above the clutter.

Draco ran a hand through his hair angrily, made a noise that sounded like an angry shout with no words and turned his back to Blaise and I.

"Everyone spills their coffee once in a while mate; listen you've been pretty wound up lately, why don't you go back home and I'll cover your workload today..." Blaise trailed off when he saw the look of fury on Draco's face.

"No I'm fine." His voice was contained but I knew I unleashed a storm that would turn into a hurricane. "I just need some air." He stormed out of the room. Blaise put his hands behind his head and exhaled deeply, clearly unsettled by his friend's behaviour.

A tugging feeling around my navel formed and I suddenly found myself beside Draco. His idea of 'air' was another chamber. I had no idea how I'd come to be beside him—maybe it was a ghost thing where I'd materialise out of thin air—but I wasn't actually dead...

The chamber unsettled me as I suddenly realised where we were. It had stone piers leading downwards to a pit in the centre—much like an amphitheatre or the Courtrooms a floor below them—in the middle of the pit on a dais stood the Veil, proud and silent, the ancient, tattered, black curtain flowed as it moved to an invisible breeze. It was where Sirius had died and I felt such a rush of emotions I nearly broke down. Instead, silent tears welled up as I thought back on that day—how his death had changed Harry, forever. The Death Chamber...I remembered the name of it now.

I noticed Draco sitting near the top-middle of the chamber and I slowly made my way towards him and sat down behind him to his left slightly. He didn't look up; his face still in his hands.

We were silent for a long time before the sound of his voice broke the silence, seemingly disturbing the stillness of death for the Veil fluttered at his voice. "What are you doing here? Is He having a laugh at me is that it?" He questioned. God had a part in this but I'm sure it wasn't to make him feel like a fool—that was _my_ plan. I said nothing. "Why can't you just go away? Clearly, whatever charm you're using is very effective, but some of us have actually got to work Granger."

"Oh I can see how on top of things you are judging by the state of your office. And do you honestly believe that _I_ would miss work for days and days just to play a trick on you?" I moved off the cold stone and sat beside him, my back facing the Veil below. "I'm missing Draco." I said softly, feeling the fat tears slide slowly down my cheeks; my chin wobbled and I cursed myself for being so emotional.

"What kind of lame prank are you pulling Granger? It's a pretty damn good one, sneaking into the Department of Mysteries; I think that would get you a few decades in Azkaban." He asked quietly, and even though he tried to make it seem like he didn't care, I think he was starting to believe me.

"I'm out there," I gestured with my hand weakly, in attempt to prove my point, "I'm dying." The tears blurred my vision and I sniffled loudly, wiping them away with my fingers before I felt his cold skin against mine. He held my face with one hand and wiped a tear with his thumb. It was such a delicate, caring gesture coming from Draco that I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

"Stop your crying. It's pathetic." He whispered—lovingly? No, stupid Hermione, don't think like that. I mean I have seven weeks to turn Draco's blackened heart into a red muscle, worthy of entrance into Heaven, it wouldn't be so easy as a few hours with him. The tears had stopped but my throat still felt thick and I couldn't speak.

"You'd better not be fucking with me because if you are—"

"Just go upstairs to Law Enforcement; Harry, Ron and a few of my co-workers will tell you they haven't seen me in weeks." God how long have I been dead...or un-dead? I lost all sense of time and suddenly forgot how old I was for a second. His hand dropped from my face and I suddenly felt sad all over again.

"I'm not going to go asking Potter about you. Not after what happened. And do you think I'm lowly to waste my time with Weasley?" He stood to leave and I wiped the remaining tears off my face before standing as well.

"You're the only one who can help me." I said as a last resort, taking into account that he was the only person who could see or hear me.

He paused at the door. "I never said I wouldn't." He replied and my heart grew wings with joy.

***

I soon found out that if I decided to stay in one spot while Draco left I would be right beside him in seconds. I guess part of the Deal binds me to him. I followed him around all day, from his office to different Chambers. I learned he was part of the Thought Chamber but I didn't know what he did or why he did it. I saw a glimpse of the Brain tank and suddenly remembered a fifteen-year-old Ron made dim from the brain sucking out his life force. Or had it been his intelligence? That was part of the Department of _Mysteries_, no one would ever know.

He would whisper with his colleagues if they decided to say anything at all but most of the day was spent in his office, listening to the scratching sounds of his quill as it darted across the parchment. The pile in the IN basket was greatly reduced but the clutter remained. My feet were sore—or at least they had the illusion of feeling sore—and I removed my heels and threw them on the overflowed trash bin. Draco looked up briefly and with a questioning look but I was so tired that I didn't give him any sort of look back. A second after I threw my shoes they were in my hands again. Draco blinked, confused and I just shrugged my shoulders in a manner that said 'Just go with it, I am'. Blaise was in and out of the office room, making memos and folding them into the tiny paper airplanes that would eventually find their way into the lifts; travelling up floors until they found their recipient.

It was boring to watch someone else work and not know what they did. At least at school they would teach you what the heck they were talking about but Draco sat like a statue at his desk and just wrote all day in silence. I missed my desk and my workload where I actually knew what I was supposed to do. I missed the noise and freedom of speech in the upper-levels and I suddenly felt miserable when I looked back on all the times I took for granted when I'd wished the whole Department was quiet for more than two seconds. In the Department of Mysteries you could probably hear a pin drop three Chambers away—which was not actually true since I couldn't even hear anything from outside the office; I was pretty sure they'd used a magical sound-proof barrier as well as a sound container.

I was tired of standing and so I sat awkwardly on Draco's desk, on top of some of the papers. He eyed me with a look that needed no words. "You didn't give me a chair." I explained. I was on the very edge of the desk because of the damnable skirt I was wearing. Why did I pick this outfit? I can hardly sit comfortably and I can't stand on my blasted feet in those blasted heels all day! I wish I had been wearing my night gown when I...what? Died? Tired, and pissed off, I stood off the desk, hiked the skirt up to an immodest length, avoiding Draco's searching grey eyes, and sat back on the desk with more freedom. I felt a little shameful but Blaise couldn't see me so I made sure my back was to Draco.

***

A few dramatic sighs later, Draco threw his quill down, annoyed; Blaise was not in the room at the moment. "What too boring? I'm sorry I thought you _thrived_ on work."

I was angry at that point in the long day. "Yes my own work, not 'sitting around doing nothing' work. Watching you scribble chicken scratches on parchment all day is a little mind-numbingly dull, forgive me." I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Chicken scratches?" He looked back down at his work and puffed out his chest, I knew he was going to defend his pride while he still could. Frankly, I was angry at myself, all this time could be spent getting Draco ready for the good end of the spectrum but instead, we're sitting nine levels below the ground doing nothing.

"Can't we just leave now? You've done a decent amount of work today." I was lying through my teeth and he knew it.

He stood and I thought for a horrible moment that he was going to hit me, so I flinched. He was confused and then exhaled, apparently disappointed that I would think that of him. He grabbed his cloak and left everything else as it was—I felt the insatiable need to clean every square inch of the office but he was already out the door.

"Where are you going?" I called after him as we entered the same large corridor where the employees of the Department of Mysteries would congregate.

"I've done my work for today remember?" He called over his shoulder and a few people looked at him—it was apparently a sin to talk even within the walls of the Department itself. I elbowed past people who took no notice of me and I finally made it to the soul of He Who Needs Saving. "After you." He gestured, holding the door open for me. He was a smug bastard. A few people mistook his comments for them and filed past me before I was actually able to get through.

As we made it to the lifts—along with a few more infuriating paper-planes—the gates rattled shut and the lift shuddered with the effort of bringing us back to the surface.

When we passed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement I looked at Draco. "You're not going to speak to Harry and Ron?" He remained silent—I suppose he didn't want to look crazy talking to himself. He stared ahead, ignoring me. Well that's alright, what good is he to me if he's holed up in St. Mungo's on the suspicion of mental instability?

"We should find Ginny, she'll believe you. I know she will." I said with confidence. I crossed my arms just as the lift opened into the Atrium. There was the chaotic moment when everyone was attempting to leave and enter the lifts at the same time and I felt Draco put his hands on my bottom and shove me out. I was too appalled for words. He walked forward with a happy smirk plastered over his smug face.

***

Once we were in muggle London again I extended my arms to the cloudy sky. "Freedom! Air! Sunlight!" I basked in the glory of it all. Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh pardon us who don't wish to develop some skin disease by burying ourselves under the ground, our pale skins without the sun for hours on end."

"Let's just leave already. Where is this person you were talking about? I was vaguely listening." He waved his hand in a flicking motion as if to say her words were nothing more than a fly buzzing around his blond head. Of course he wouldn't have listened.

"Ginny." I repeated, annunciating her two-syllable nickname.

"Potter's girl?" He asked with disinterest. I was momentarily lost for words, my mouth opening and closing soundlessly, my brows furrowed.

"What other 'Ginny' do you know?

"Well where is she then?"

"Let's go." In that moment I wish I were dead.

We found her at the Training Fields—a magical spot where Quidditch teams would practice. I had to rack my brain to remember what it was called but thankfully Draco knew where it was and when I was delighted he'd heard of it before he looked at me the same way I'd looked at him when I asked about Ginny.

We had to wait until their practice was over—it was the 'Major Leagues', as my dad compared when I tried to explain it. I was never any good at brooms or Quidditch so my knowledge on the topic was, shamefully, brief. We waited on the pitch, beside one of the doors that would lead into the stands. I spotted Ginny instantly despite the blur of dark green robes and I bit my lip painfully hard when Ginny executed a difficult and dangerous manoeuvre.

"She's not completely incompetent." Draco admitted, crossing his arms and watching the youngest _pregnant_ Weasley fly. As she caught the Quaffle hard to her side I gasped. Draco looked at me and laughed.

"Relax Granger it's part of the game."

"She's not _supposed_ to fly. It's too dangerous for...for her." I caught myself just in time. He ignored me and checked his watch.

"Five minutes is all I'm going to give you to speak to her."

"She can't see me...no one can Draco." I explained for the umpteenth time.

"What?"

"You're doing the talking." I told him and the look on his face was incredulity. It was as if I told him the baby was actually his.

"Weasley! Visitor!" Her captain shouted as Ginny walked towards the change rooms. I hadn't realised the practice was over. She trudged over and I suddenly wanted to draw her a nice warm bath. She looked tired and pissed off, despite the good practice—_the hormones must be kicking in_ I thought fearfully.

She gave Draco a look that said 'what the hell...' "Malfoy...what are you doing here?" She asked. It wasn't unkind but neither was it kind. She dropped her broom beside her feet and took a long drink from her canteen before beginning to pull off her guards.

"This is strange I know, but..."

"Out with it." I urged.

"How's Granger been?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"What?" Ginny froze, her hand on her shin-guard. She brought her eyes back up to Draco's and I could see the malice in hers.

"Be gentle." I tried to help, but Draco had his own way of speaking that would make anyone angry.

"I wanted to see how she's been. I noticed she hasn't been in for work—"

"You're not even in the same Departments, and when did you suddenly become interested in Hermione Granger's wellbeing?" Ginny cut herself off in the way I knew her thoughts were overloading as she tried to answer his question but reasonably figure out what the hell was his problem.

"And?" Draco asked, "You're point being?"

"Hermione's missing you dick." I gasped at her rudeness—Ginny never used _foul _language, not even for Malfoy. I noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and I reached out to hug her. She was nonresponsive. Draco watched me and Ginny in turn watched him, wondering what he was looking at close to her face.

"I don't think so."

"What do you mean?" She replied in a deadly voice.

"She's standing right there, hugging you."

I have never seen Ginny repeatedly bludgeon a man twice her size with a broomstick.

* * *

A/N HEY GUYS omg I'm so sorry I actually fell off the face of the planet but after exams I enjoyed the SIX DAYS WITHOUT RAIN (the other 60? not so much) whereupon I find that ALL MY DOCUMENTS ON MY USBS WERE GONE. So i cried for three days, wallowed in self-pity for two days, and was pissed for two days before I finally got off my a$$ and used online recovery system thingies to find the docs. Thankfully i was able to recover 75% of everything (pictures for my other stories as references included) but sadly all my fanfic docs were gone. I'm still trying to recover Fix You chapters but until then you're going to have to bear with me:( :( :( Here's a nice update for CB to keep you guys occupied until I'm able to update FY. Oh man there's so much I have to say but i'm so exhausted it's 3:10 AM so i'm just gonna go ahead and publish this already. I would say R&R but i feel like i've betrayed you guys for leaving you hanging. So R&R if you want :( Im gonna go wallow in selfpity in my dreams now :( :( :(

-k-

**A/N: UPDATE: Hey all i've fixed the spellng errors in this and added *** to indicate new scenes. Hope u enjoyed it! R&R to let me know!!**


	3. Bargaining

**Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P **

**Crossroad Blues**

"_What do you want?"_

"_For what?"_

"_For Hermione you sick bastard."_

Stage Three: Bargaining

"Ginny no! Stop!" I flung myself into the fray, getting between Draco and Ginny. She was furiously gathering strength every time she pulled the broomstick away while Draco was cussing and holding his arms out in front of him to protect his perfect face; he stepped back every time and Ginny lunged forward with every step.

"Crazy bitch!" He was shouting as the broomstick phased through me and wacked his forearms with a painful thwack.

"Don't you talk about Hermione like. It's. Some. Sort. Of. Joke!" With every word she hit Malfoy and by now her teammates had run over.

"Weasley! Drop the broom!" Her captain shouted. I stood in the middle, uselessly trying to calm my friend. As Ginny raised her broom once more Draco seemed to growl in anger. He caught the broom as she brought it down.

"Enough." His voice was deadly as he yanked the broomstick from her grip—tears streamed down her face and I knew they were tears of anger and defiance. He raised the broom and for a horrible moment I thought he was going to hit Ginny with it, but instead he broke it in two on his thigh. He dropped the pieces, eyeing Ginny with disgust and spoke in a low voice.

"I wasn't lying." He gave me one glance and against her better judgement Ginny glanced my way as well. "You know where to find me." He added as if to say _If you have any further questions. _As he started to walk away Ginny leapt forward with the grace of a cat; I tried to stop her but her teammate tackled her to the ground. _THE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ My brain screamed.

"Weasley! Get a grip!" Another teammate yelled and I wanted to punch her in the face. It wasn't Ginny's fault that: an old school nemesis shows up years later; pokes fun about her best friend being missing; or that she was pregnant! That last one was Harry's fault but really who's keeping score? Ginny elbowed her teammate in the gut and the other girl grunted, releasing her.

Ginny got up and brushed herself off and stormed off through the change room entrance. I found myself wanting to go after her but the gut-wrenching feeling that tied me to Draco was starting to take effect. I glanced behind me once more to see the angry, all-female Holyhead Harpies team, minus one extremely pissed off Weasley.

***

I blinked and I was beside Draco. He had apparated out of the Fields to just beyond the gates to his estate. He strode past the prim path lined with perfectly-proportioned trees and shoved his way through the gates that opened without protest. I ran after him and for a moment I thought I ran through the gates but I didn't have time to ponder it. I nearly stumbled three times while I was dragged by the invisible force. It seemed the angrier Draco was the closer I got.

He remained silently fuming until we reached the huge double doors to the mansion. A flash of remembrance brought me back to the year after Voldemort's fall. The _Prophet _had run hundreds of editorials on the Fall of the Dark Side; the captured Death Eaters; and most importantly, the children of said Death Eaters. She distinctly remembered a two-week, front-page piece on Draco Malfoy after he and his father were given pardons for turning against Voldemort—there had been an uproar and riots around the Manor for days before Lucius announced he was retiring abroad—a handsome sum still awaits the reporter who finds the elder Malfoy. I had also read of Narcissa's seclusion and was surprised to find that the press hadn't been interested in her—_Witch Weekly_ certainly had been, considering she was a wealthy socialite—but Harry had explained to me what'd happened in the Forest that day and I was shocked that the press wasn't interested that her lie had saved Harry's life; ultimately saving us all.

A loud rumbling noise scared me and a flash of light indicated the arrival of a storm. The rain fell from the heavens in fat, heavy droplets. The storm soon turned into a full-fledged monsoon-like hurricane, the loud lightening sounding every few minutes making a horrible noise—as if the sky were being cracked into thousands of pieces. Night was starting to fall.

We were inside before the storm fully formed but I watched with fascination from the den of the Malfoy Manor. When we walked in through the giant doors we found ourselves in the largest foyer I had ever seen. The black marble beneath my feet was spotless; likewise could be said about the granite walls and Roman columns that lined the sides of the foyer, leading into other wings of the Manor. The den was down a few columns; to say it was large would be an understatement. It was very 'open' though. Floor-to-ceiling windows ran along the outer walls and the furnishings had been evenly spaced apart to give the illusion of cosiness and spaciousness at the same time. There was a large fireplace in one corner and beside that, a few feet to the left was a spiral staircase leading to a balcony that lined the perimeter den below. One could walk along above, observing the inhabitants of the den like a god. I wondered what else was up there but I didn't dare explore Malfoy's home without his permission. Even though my entire body itched with excitement I couldn't just wander off—I was too scared of Draco.

He stood at the crackling fire-place, watching the flames sizzle and pop with life—or...dying? Technically the wood was chopped up and sent off to burn to death so really...anyway. He stood holding his whiskey glass, half empty—the whole scene looked eerily stereotypical but I guess these things do happen. He'd stormed into the den as soon as we were in the house, taking his cloak off and draping it across a chair, undoing his tie and throwing it to the ground—I picked it up in an attempt for cleanliness—and he hastily made himself a drink from the nice collection of alcoholic drinks on the glass bar opposite the fire and couches. I stood awkwardly, unaware if I was allowed to sit down—the couches looked as though they'd _never_ been sat on...ever. So I stood, holding his tie in my hands, watching him uncertainly.

His grey eyes darted to steal a glance at me and I stood a little straighter—as if caught slouching by McGonagall. His eyes were darker than the clouds outside and I took a fearful step back.

"Sit down. You're making me nervous."

I blinked and then narrowed my eyes at him in anger before crossing my arms and plopping down onto the couch. A visible puff of dust escaped the fabric and I coughed, waving the dust away. Draco was undisturbed by the event.

I could hear the distant ticking of a grandfather clock somewhere in the Manor—it was _that_ quiet. Draco seemed to thrive on silence; as an Unspeakable and as a person living in a Mansion that could house three hundred people.

I tapped my foot against the carpet, waiting for Draco to emerge from his cocoon of self-loathing. He was in front of me in a second and despite myself, I jumped in shock.

"Stop." He put his hands on either side of me on the back of the couch, his nose centimetres from mine.

"What else is there for me to do but sit or stand in your presence. I can't very well leave." I replied quietly. His eyes momentarily flickered to my lips and I parted them stupidly. He moved away and I found that I'd been holding my breath—I let it out as quietly as I could.

"Why are you tormenting me then? And aren't you supposed to be transparent and floaty? Shouldn't Weasleyette see you too?"

"First off, I'm not tormenting you, I'm saving you, and I'm not a ghost because I'm out there somewhere, alive, but not!" I tried explaining, jumping to my feet—an action I regretted, the heels cut into my feet and squished my toes further. "It's part of my Deal—" I suddenly found my throat constricted and I couldn't say anything else. My hand flew to my throat and Draco took a hesitant step forward, unsure of what was happening. Suddenly the rain paused; the fire stopped crackling; and all was quiet.

"Hello again sweetheart!" I jumped at his voice. My own personal demon. He was back, in the same suit and hat.

"You," I hissed, "what do you want?"

"To remind you of the Rules."

I said nothing.

"As part of the Deal, you're obligated to hold certain information away from the knowledge of the clientele—in other words: Keep your trap shut."

"How can I save his soul from damnation when I can't even tell him that's why I'm here? Why I'm like this?"

"Life is never fair; why should death be any different?" He said casually flicking dust off Draco's shoulder. I froze.

"I thought I wasn't dead." My voice seemed small and far away.

"Oh right!" He scoffed in laughter, remembering now. "You're _dying_, forgive the misinterpretation." He winked and my lip curled in disgust. He smiled and I got a full view of his pointed teeth.

"Well why don't you give me a breakdown of the Rules so I'm aware."

He laughed loudly—it sounded out of place in the large, quiet Manor.

"Nah I haven't got time to chitchat, I was dealing. Poker game; Hitler's got a horrible tell." He joked before beginning to walk away but I stopped him by stepping in front of him. "Listen sweetheart, you're a smart girl I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make that bastard over there a human again in a week."

He continued and before he could disappear in the shadows of the darkened foyer I shouted after him. "A week? I thought I had eight!"

"It's more interesting like this! Besides, you haven't got the stamina to last eight weeks!" He cackled as he disappeared and I was filled with immense dread—wherever I was out there in the world, I was dying fast.

"Wait! Come back!"

"What?" Draco asked, perplexed. I noticed the rumbling of the thunder and loud whip-like cracks of the lightening had resumed and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Everything had returned to normal—except for the fact that I was going to die in less than eight days.

"We don't have much time." I said quietly, wiping the tear away, turning to face him. "I need to find out who had it out for me. I don't remember much, except being thrown into a freezing river..." _Or ocean_ my brain supplied stupidly. "I was working on something..." I shut my eyes, trying to remember the latest development I had been working on. "Confiscation File...number..." Draco just stared at me. "I need to find that file."

"What does your work have to do with anything?"

"I was working on something secret for Kingsley...he asked me to look into this case..." I gripped the sides of my head, willing myself to remember. "If we find those files I was working on they could give us a clue as to what happened to my body."

"So where do you—" He began before the loud pounding of the heavy knocker echoed through the house eerily. I shivered. Draco walked to the foyer to answer and I stepped lively behind him.

He opened one of the doors—it was Ginny! I gasped. Whether or not it was because she had shown up, alone, to Malfoy Manor, or that she was absolutely drenched. Had she no regard for the baby! I made a note to chastise her when I was able to speak with her directly. For now I would use Draco as a channel.

"Weasley." He acknowledged. I shoved him aside.

"Let her in!"

He stepped back and Ginny stepped over the threshold, dripping buckets onto the pristine floor. She began to unbutton her cloak and shot daggers at Draco. "You owe me a new broom." She took a fistful of her hair and shamelessly squeezed the water out of it. The water cascaded to the floor but Draco stepped forward, leading Ginny into the den. She cautiously stepped forward after him—eyeing the high, arches and domed ceiling. _I know!_ I wish I could agree with her, while we giggle silently, being led into the den.

I used to have fantasies about masquerade balls hosted by a Mr and Mrs. Malfoy—though for some reason neither Draco and his imaginary wife nor his parents were the couple hosting the event, and it was purely because of the size of the Manor—but Ginny and I would attend, signing our RSVPs as hastily as society allowed. We would then arrive in luxurious dresses that accented our best features where the men would stare and the women would glare. I would always be wearing the most gorgeous scarlet dress, my hair elegantly swept away from my neck; Ginny would always wear her hair in long, loose ringlets, her emerald dress would always shimmer and Harry would always be on her arm—when we weren't off scoping the men in the ballroom, or discussing our options in the powder room, giggling with the rest of the women inside—our eyes would search from behind the masks but no one would ever catch my interest and I would find myself searching for a pair of stormy grey eyes...I know it sounds horribly feminine and it's all wishful thinking but I couldn't help that that part of myself was never on the surface.

I took a seat on the couch beside Ginny who seemed to collapse into the uncomfortable couch. Draco waited until she was seated before he sat opposite us in an armchair.

"Why are you here?"

"Why are you taunting me?" She sounded tired as she observed Malfoy beadily.

"I'm not. And I wasn't before." He said seriously. He leaned back in the chair and put his chin on his thumb, his index finger against his cheek, his elbow propping everything up.

Ginny remained silent, and she shivered now from the cold rain and I couldn't take it anymore. "Get her a blanket will you! Or a change of clothes! Just get her warm!" I found myself standing with my hands on my hips.

"Why?" He asked, eyeing me. Ginny looked at him, following his line of vision.

"Listen Malfoy, I'm sure there are some great remedies for hallucinations but cut the crap and tell me where she is."

"Who?"

"Get her a blanket!" I shouted.

"Hermione."

"Why does she need it!" He shouted back, scaring Ginny.

"BECAUSE SHE'S PREGNANT YOU PRICK!" I screamed; the shocked look on his face told me I took it too far. "Not the best way to break the news is it?" I tried to smile sheepishly but Draco now looked at Ginny. His eyes slowly travelled down her soaked shirt, past her chest and stopped at her rounded stomach. Ginny instinctively put her arm across to conceal it.

"You're pregnant?" He questioned. Ginny gasped softly, her eyes lost all their defiance and now held a scared, deer-in-the-headlights expression.

"Wha...how..."

The clock in the distance ticked softly, the rain lashed against the tall windows relentlessly.

"How do you know that?" She whispered, tears in her eyes. I sat to hug her tightly.

"She told me." He said, nodding towards me.

"No one knows Malfoy, how the fuck do you?" She stood abruptly. "Get out of my head."

"Trust me, I can't read your thoughts or memories. Granger, sitting right there," he pointed, "informed me very unceremoniously."

"Pray tell me how Hermione knows when she's been missing for weeks?" She cross her arms. Draco looked to me, expecting an answer.

"A day or so after I stopped coming in to work Ginny came to my flat, she spoke to herself for a little bit, trying to decide how to tell me she was pregnant. I was sitting on the bed beside her." My eyes became misty with emotion and Draco relayed the message. Ginny stood frozen.

It seemed like an eternity before she said or did anything. She rubbed her face delicately, trying to clear her thoughts and ran her fingers through her hair, sniffling loudly, I knew she didn't believe him.

"Sod off Malfoy. We have a full-scale investigation going on. Our friend is _missing_ and if your life is so pathetic that you sit around inventing stories—"

"Listen, I'm doing Granger a favour, she won't leave me alone so the faster I help her, the faster I get on with my _pathetic_ life." He was standing inches away from Ginny but bless her, she had the courage to stare him straight in the eyes.

"Malfoy." I said.

"What!" He snapped, scaring both Ginny and me.

"The blankets? I could get them if you just tell me where they are—"

"_You_, get them? That would be an interesting sight wouldn't it." He said, Ginny's eyes were wide as he conversed with thin air.

"Right, so I'll just keep her company then..."

"Wait here." He growled, storming off to bring Ginny a blanket to keep her arm. She stood frozen for a moment, scared of Malfoy's insanity before she stepped over to the fireplace quickly, warming herself as best she could before pulling out her wand. She muttered a charm and I groaned in despair. Oh Ginny! Why did you go and do that—she'd cast a beacon charm; it would alert whoever she sent it too, most likely Harry and Ron, the location of her whereabouts. They would be here soon, wands blazing.

Draco returned and draped a blanket around Ginny's shoulders, scaring her.

"Granger was talking about some case she was working on, and she wondered if you knew anything about it." He lied. I didn't say that!

"I wouldn't tell anyone until I had all the facts. Besides, Ginny doesn't work in the Ministry so it wouldn't exactly qualify as brunch conversation." I said dryly, crossing my arms.

"No, I don't know anything about that." Ginny replied curtly. She considered something for a moment before voicing her thoughts. "What's she wearing?"

Draco was caught off-guard by the question but he did a very good job of masking it. He crossed his arms and observed me, his eyes skimming slowly over every detail and I felt myself blushing, as if he were undressing me with his eyes.

"Blue dress shirt, black pencil skirt, black shoes—heels." He corrected. Ginny's mouth was slightly open but she closed it again.

"You're not well...Malfoy you need help.." She began to back away, her eyes searching around her for a defensible location. "I wonder what Hermione would say to me for being here...for trusting you." She spat. Draco nodded at me and said so quietly that it was a wonder Ginny heard him over the storm.

"Ask her."

"Alright then...Hermione," She addressed the room and I knew at once from her tone of voice that she was humouring Malfoy—he probably knew it as well but he looked at me with intensity and concentration. "Should I believe Malfoy?"

"Yes." I said. "Please Ginny believe him." I begged.

"Yes." Malfoy translated and Ginny scoffed what sounded like 'of course'.

"Alright. Hermione? Should I trust him?"

"No." I said, a smile playing on my lips. Draco glared at me then looked at Ginny when she pressed for an answer.

"Well?"

"She says 'no'."

Ginny was caught off-guard at his response and I was overjoyed I knew she would believe it. I gave her the most Hermione-like answer I could; she knew that if this was all true I would still be me and tell her to be cautious around someone like Malfoy.

A second later, a blast synched with the crack of lightening and Harry and The Beard—er...Ron—ran into the Mansion, their wands at the ready. They too were soaked to the bone. Malfoy stood casually by the fire, he hadn't moved, and his hands were crossed in a care-free manner.

"I believe the knocker is there for a reason." He said bluntly.

"Ginny!" Ron quickly shuffled over to his sister putting a protective arm around while still aiming his wand at Draco. To say that Ron looked livid would have been an understatement, his face was the deepest shade of red I'd ever seen; Harry looked like an innocent cloud, waiting for its moment to unleash its fury; Ginny now looked curious, and Draco—I couldn't believe it, he looked _bored_, absolutely jaded, no emotion except annoyance flickered across his face.

"What is she doing here Malfoy?" Harry asked quietly, but I could tell he was restraining himself from lunging at Malfoy. Ever the wary wizard, Harry's green eyes took everything into account, from the size of the room and everything in it to the flickering shadow of Malfoy's form on the carpet in front of the fire.

"Ask her, she's your girlfriend." He snapped.

"Fiancé." I corrected, my eyes never leaving Harry or Ron.

Ron was shaking in anger and I was surprised he didn't already kill Malfoy. "WHAT DOES IT MATTER! YOU WERE HOLDING HER HOSTAGE!"

"Ron calm down." It was Ginny. She put an arm on his raised shoulder and brought it down. Harry's wand remained pointed at Draco's heart.

"It's rude to point your wand at your host Potter, need I remind you you're in this house as a _guest_. Lower your wand or get the fuck out of my house."

"Easy now." I breathed, trying to calm Draco. I put my hands on his strong, tense shoulders and pulled him back slightly.

Harry lowered his wand but his eyes flickered momentarily to the carpet, and his brows furrowed slightly. I dropped my hands from Draco's shoulders and walked over to Harry. Draco watched me—I could feel his eyes on me somehow—and Harry followed Draco's eyes. Could he see me? I waved my hand in front of Harry's face but nothing happened.

"Get out. All of you." Draco's calm voice had the same, chilling effect as when he would glare daggers at someone.

Ron walked right up to Malfoy and they were so close their noses almost touched. Ron's mouth was pursed in anger and his face was still a blotchy red as he threatened Draco. "Come near my sister again and I won't hesitate to kill you." He turned and grabbed Ginny's hand, dragging her back to the foyer. Harry stayed for half a second longer before turning on heel.

"Nothing to say Potter?"

"Why are you taunting him!" I shouted, angry that Draco just wanted to pick a fight.

He ignored me and looked at Ginny's retreating form. "Won't make for a good father would he!" He shouted after her. She glared at him over her shoulder and Ron was too blind with hatred to take notice of what Draco said. Harry, however, paused and looked at his old school nemesis.

"What?"

"Nothing." Draco smirked triumphantly. I sighed and ran my hands over my face in frustration at the testosterone-filled competition going on before my eyes.

"We'll be back with a warrant." Harry announced seriously.

He left without taking his eyes off Draco and in a moment I stood with Draco who's body betrayed him—it was tense and I knew if I said something he would snap at me. There were voices of protest in the foyer and a second later Ginny stormed back into the den, coming within inches of Draco. She was taller than me but still shorter than Draco.

"What do you want?"

"For what?" He replied calmly, staring down his nose at Ginny. I watched with fear and fascination.

"For Hermione. I know you kidnapped her you sick bastard and when I can I'm going to find her and free her and you'll be behind bars in Azkaban."

"I think they would reserve Azkaban for the truly despicable souls." Draco said.

Ginny glared.

"What'll it be then? Money? Prestige? No you have all that, which begs the question: Why would you take Hermione?"

"I just want Granger out of my life forever. You can have her, but first you have to help me. By helping me you're helping her which in turn helps everyone. I don't know where she is but if you can get your hands on whatever she was last working on I'm sure we'd be one step closer to finding her."

Ginny continued to glare for what seemed like minutes before sticking her hand out.

"Alright. But," she retracted her hand, "if anything's happened to her and I find it's your fault? You're going to be six feet under in six seconds. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." He shook her hand, sealing their bargain.

* * *

A/N: Heyhey! I'm slowly coming out of my depressed state and will try to start working on Fix You after I've finished this story (only 3 or 4 chapters left yay!) Please R&R and I'll give you a cookie!!!!

**A/N: UPDATE: I've fixed stuff in this chappie, like the other updates I've done. R&R :) :) :)**


	4. Depression

**Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P **

**Crossroad Blues**

"_I just wish it would end. I can't go on. I give up."_

"_Don't...Please...don't give up on me." _

Stage Four: Depression

After Ginny left I stood, speechless. Draco tossed what was left of his drink into the fire before striding out of the den. It took me a second to realise he was gone and when I did I jogged out of the giant room. He was nowhere to be seen. How could he have disappeared so quickly? Well, in any case he couldn't be far, if he were I would have been dragged to where he was. Instead I walked down the foyer, examining the rooms to the left and right of me. I passed the closed doors to the ballroom and another set of doors that probably led to the kitchens below. I made my way up the huge, carpeted staircase, removing my hand from the banister—it was coated in dust! I brushed my hand off on my skirt and continued making my way up the grand staircase.

Once I reached the first floor landing I was faced with more closed doors on either side of me. Curiously I opened the first door on my right. Everything inside was draped in white sheets. The dying light of day streamed through the large window across the room showed the flecks of dust floating about leisurely.

I closed the door silently and made my way down the hall, checking each room to see if Draco was in one of them. Every room looked as though it hadn't been used in years and I wondered vaguely if he still had servants or house elves of any kind. _Well it'__s Malfoy—he probably can't even crack an egg for breakfast, or dress himself, I mean just look at his work-space!—_I thought harshly.

The rooms and various, twisting hallways gave off the creepy, abandoned-for-decades-vibe I concluded as I walked down the carpeted main hallway, quickening slightly because I've gone and scared myself. The entire mansion was quiet, the silence pounding against my ears painfully. I was scared of the large, emptiness of the place and suddenly found myself frozen in the middle of the hall with my fists clenched and my eyes shut tight. I took a few deep breaths, listening for anything—but again, the only noise I could hear was the grandfather clock hidden somewhere in the giant labyrinth of a house. I half-expected to jump at the touch of someone or something or some noise but all remained the same when I opened my eyes.

As though by some instinct I was drawn to another staircase to the left side of the hall, leading up to the second floor. There were fewer doors but I spotted different hallways down the other end. It was a maze! How could anyone find their way through the identical halls and rooms? On every wall there hung portraits—or there used to be portraits. There was the tell-tale discoloration on the wallpaper that indicated the magical family portraits were removed; how long ago I wasn't sure of. I tried one door at random—afraid to call out for Draco, afraid that something evil would come out and get me. Which was ridiculous; I've confronted a demon before and struck a bargain with him! I shouldn't be afraid. I confidently swung the door open.

A closet...lovely.

It was a closet, but it was a _Malfoy Manor_ _closet_—decorated and made worthy of its title. I closed it promptly and spotted grand, double mahogany doors down the other hall. I made my way to it and opened one of the doors; and as I expected it was the Master Bedroom. But unlike the other rooms this was left untouched—no white sheets draped the lavish furniture but because of such, everything had a fine few inches of undisturbed dust.

The white and gold satin sheets and comforter were neatly tucked in the king-sized bed and the matching pillows decorated the surface symmetrically. There was an armchair beside the long-since-used fireplace and the heavy, gold, curtains on the windows were drawn back and held in place by thick white ropes. The rain had finally stopped and the dying sunlight was attempting to break through the fat, grey clouds that refused to disperse. I could see a large door to the inner-left of the chamber and assumed it was a walk-in closet—and knowing Narcissa Malfoy's wardrobe, it would probably be a _huge_ closet. Another door beside that was probably a lavish bathroom. Afraid to disturb the memory of the room I edged out and quietly closed the door.

There was another large set of doors down another hallway and I prayed to Merlin it was Draco's room.

And it was. I sighed in relief but he was nowhere to be seen. The colour scheme of the room was black and silver, both colours complementing each other nicely—I knew it was his room from the apparent use. The clutter was liken to his office—old clothes littered the floor along with shoes that were missing their other halves, old _Daily Prophets_. His bed-sheets were tangled and pillows littered the space around the queen-sized bed. Old mugs held stale coffee on the side tables that also housed an array of books, some new, some so old that they were on the point of detaching from the binding, and some open on top of the pile. The curtains hung limply, pooling close to the floor as if they were pulled harshly before being abandoned. There was a strange smell in the room that made me wrinkle my nose and I refused to think about what was rotting silently hidden. The sound of water from behind a black oak door told my instincts that that was the bathroom. I watched the silver knob turn and felt the urge to hide—as if I wasn't allowed in his room. I frantically searched for a hiding place, and dove to the floor on the other side of the bed.

Draco emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing at all. I averted my eyes as he reached for a crumpled towel, sniffed it and straightened.

"JESUS!" He shouted, scaring me. He'd spotted me. "What the fuck Granger?" I rose from my hiding place but my eyes remained looking at everything _except_...you know...He crossed his arms and stood, unashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry I...I wondered where you went."

"To shower off all the Weasley. Two in one day is my limit." He smirked and I shot him a glare; but by doing so my eyes inadvertently rebelled and travelled south quickly before I regained control. I crossed my own arms.

"Will you put something on please?" I picked up one of the few remaining pillows on the bed and threw it at him. He caught it and held it low against his hips in mock modesty for my sake.

"Poor Granger, died without seeing a man naked." He mocked harshly. And suddenly I found myself close to tears.

"Shut your mouth you snake. I'm not dead yet. And you are the only one who can help me and all you do is strut around making a mess of things, not giving a rat's ass about anything or anyone else!" My voice had broken and I cursed myself for it. He observed me with a look I couldn't name for longer than a minute before he spoke.

"This is all just a mind-game. I _have_ been overworking lately. You're just a delusion. Working in the Thought Chamber can do that to a person." He seemed to be trying to convince himself I didn't exist. I strode up to him and slapped him hard across the face.

"Was **that** a delusion!" I shouted. He grabbed my wrists, dropping the pillow and forced my hands up in the air. I struggled but he did not relinquish his death-grip. I tried to step back but he tripped on the forgotten pillow and we both fell onto the bed. I immediately stopped struggling when I felt his body on top of mine. I could feel his every muscle stretched against his skin.

"Touch me again, and you'll wish you _were_ dead." His voice was low and deadly and his eyes were clouded over with either anger or passion. The latter seemed unlikely and so I cowered despite my best efforts. He slid off me, his warmth went with him, "You had better not be here when I come out." He added before he disappeared in the steam of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

I remained on my back on the bed until I felt the hot tears fall sideways out of my eyes before they disappeared into my hair. It was hopeless, he wasn't going to help me. I would be dead soon—seven days was all I had to create some sort of soul for Draco Malfoy.

I found myself curled into a ball on my side, hugging the pillow to the side of my face as I cried, as I lost hope.

***

It was some time later when night had finally come and I was drifting in and out of consciousness that Draco emerged from his bath. I could hear the hesitation in his step as he realised I was still on the bed, curled on the far side.

I barely heard him make his way across the room from the bathroom but felt the bed sag only slightly under the new weight. My shoulders shook as I tried to stifle my tears, to keep quiet. The last thing I ever expected was Draco to put his hand gently on my shoulder. He hesitated before adjusting himself on the bed. I felt his other arm slide underneath my body, pulling me to him. My back was against his bare front as he curled protectively around me. With his other hand he drew the tangled sheets around us. My eyes were blurred from my tears but the racking, silent sobs seemed to subside, absorbed by Draco's body. He held me tightly, his arms around my stomach, his cheek against my head.

"Don't cry." He whispered. His voice was so gentle that I almost cried anew. "It's pathetic." He added, to secure his reputation of being an ass. I could feel his wet hair soak the pillow and the musky smell of his soap filled my nostrils.

I inhaled, sniffling wetly. "What can I do?" I whispered, almost to myself. "How can I make you human? How can I make you love?"

"You want to make love?" He asked, clearly not listening to what I said. There was laughter in his voice as I elbowed him lightly. I was out of energy, I was drained. I couldn't keep up the facade.

"You're hopeless. You'll always be alone and miserable and angry. Never feeling love in any form, never giving love in any form." A fat tear fell from my eye and was soaked up instantly by the goose-down pillow.

"Oh I give plenty of love."

"Your prostitutes don't count." I said angrily. I knew all about Draco Malfoy's scandalous sex life—as did any witch who read _Witch Weekly_, and of course Ginny filled me in, I would never read those sorts of things...Anyway, it was said he had personal 'membership' passes to all the most prestigious whore houses—magical and muggle—and I recall the day Ginny strode into our den (this was before she'd moved in with Harry) and she'd announced Malfoy's private life with disgust. She protested that the Ministry should shut down those 'disease ridden hovels' but a look passed between Harry and Ron who were seated by the fire and I knew they had no objection against whore houses.

"They're not the common prostitutes Weasley can barely afford." He said with maliciousness. I rolled my eyes tiredly.

"I can't argue anymore. I'm so tired..." I protested. I didn't know what was wrong with me, I'd never been this tired or sad before in my life. I leaned back against Draco's muscular body, falling slowly asleep. I closed my eyes and let the cold wave of depression wash over me.

***

_**Six Days Remain**_

_Bang, Bang, Bang. _I jerked awake suddenly.

What was that?

Draco held me close, still asleep, his right arm and leg draped across my body, his nose in the crook of my neck. I could feel his hot breath from his nose and the softness of his lips against my skin. His steady breathing made it clear he was still asleep, unperturbed by the distant banging. I lifted my head slightly but I couldn't move an inch because of his grip on my body.

_Bang, Bang, Bang._

"Draco." I whispered, turning in my place to face him, my skirt sliding awkwardly. I found myself so close to him; his leg still draped over me, his lips hovered over mine and his nose grazed mine. "Draco." I whispered again, but this time my lips brushed against his when I spoke. I hadn't thought this through...

_Bang, Bang, Bang._

It sounded like it was coming from the foyer—was someone knocking on the front doors to the Manor? I awkwardly twisted my arm so as to shake Draco awake. "Draco." I hissed, giving him a slightly shove.

Suddenly he was on top of me, his wand pointed at my throat. He sighed when he saw it was only me. I, however, was in complete shock. He'd moved with such speed that I had no time to even gasp.

"What is it?" He asked, rolling off of me. Before I could gather my wits about me and answer him the banging sounded again. He growled in frustration. "What _now_?" He slid off the bed and pulled on what I assumed was an old shirt and left the room still in his boxers. I slid off as well for the bed was pretty high off the ground I realised as of late that the mattress came up to my waist when I stood. I left my heels by the bed and adjusted my tight pencil skirt as I jogged out after Malfoy.

I followed him down the staircases and to the front foyer where he yanked the door open on the second loud knock, interrupting it. "What the bloody fuck do you want," he swung the door wide and glared, "Weasley?"

"We have a warrant." It was Harry, he stood beside Ron, the two of them looking dashing and clean-cut in their Auror robes and aftershave (only in Harry's case, Ron still sported that hideous beard) compared to the dishevelled, bed-head, prickly-cheeked Malfoy that stood beside me. Usually it was Draco who always looked suave whilst Harry and Ron looked bedraggled. I looked behind them and saw quite a few Aurors who looked eager to search _the_ Malfoy Manor—new recruits I suppose—Draco waved them in, stepping aside graciously.

"Well then, by all means." His voice was heavy with sarcasm. The other men and women streamed in, pulling out their wands, getting ready to search the Manor. Harry stood in the foyer, handing Draco the parchment.

"We also have the consent to use Veritaserum on you." Harry added gravely. Draco looked irritated.

"So it isn't enough to barge in on a person while sleeping at home in the early hours of the day, but now you want to bring me in for questioning?" He nearly shouted. I was afraid to try to calm him.

"It's ten-thirty." Ron stated. "Usually you'd be at work with the rest of the _hard-working witches and wizards_ but you decided to play hooky today didn't you?" He walked up to Draco, unafraid of being hit.

"Have I said or done anything to make you want to question me?" Draco asked, ignoring Ron, his voice contained but his anger still evident. Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder and brought him back a few steps.

"You told Ginny you kidnapped Hermione." Ron growled.

"Ron," Harry said in a tone I knew meant Ron was exaggerating. "Ginny told us you kept saying you 'saw' Hermione." Harry looked around once with his eyes. "Well? Where is she?"

"Two feet to the left of you Potter." Draco said snidely, Harry and Ron looked my way but Ron saw right through me; I had the strangest feeling that Harry could see me for a split second before he too, looked beyond me.

"Alright, c'mon wise-guy." Ron pulled out his wand. "Are you going to cooperate or should we _detain_ you?" Ron made it clear which option he preferred. Draco glared for a moment longer before grabbing Ron by the front of his robes.

"Think you can threaten me Weasley?" Harry and another Auror rushed forward and shoved Draco against one of the large columns. They restrained his arms but Draco fought against them. I stood with my arms raised trying to find a way to calm everyone down.

"In my own home? You'll be sorry!" He shouted as they dragged him out of the mansion, and I was reluctantly pulled as well.

***

An hour later we were in an interrogation room in the Department's Auror section. I stood in my blasted heels, tapping the floor impatiently, my arms crossed. To say I was angry would be an understatement. Draco sat in a chair behind a glass-topped table, his hands tied in front of him invisibly by magic; his wand confiscated. He had a disgruntled look on his face as he observed the two-way mirror with disdain. I shook my head at him repeatedly.

"I can't believe this. This doesn't help anyone, you locked up like this."

He didn't say anything.

"Why did you have to go and attack him!" I circled him and the table angrily until a woman walked through the door. She wore the robes of a St. Mungo's Healer and had the visitor's badge pinned to her cloak. She magicked a clipboard in after her and took the seat opposite Draco. I took the opportunity to slip through the door. I found the second door beside the room marked 'Observation' and walked in.

Harry, Ron, Ginny and a few other Aurors stood with their arms crossed, watching Draco through the two-way mirror. A few magicked quills and parchment floated around their heads, ready to write a transcript of the events.

"Thirsty Mr. Malfoy?" The Healer asked, pushing a goblet across the glass table towards him. He glared at the Healer and did not drink the goblet. The quills scratched frantically, despite the one-sided conversation. Ron huffed impatiently.

"Why doesn't she just force it down his throat?"

"He'll give in." Ginny said quietly, watching the events unfold. Harry didn't comment. I watched them with concern, hoping they would believe him.

Amazingly Draco awkwardly picked up the goblet with both hands and turned to face the people behind the glass, toasting us before taking a long swig, emptying the pewter goblet.

"Alright Mr. Malfoy. Let's start from the beginning." The Healer asked as soon as Draco finished the drink. He tossed the goblet onto the table and it wobbled dangerously before righting itself.

"Fire away." He said, leaning back into the chair, stretching his long legs under the table.

"What did you do yesterday?"

"Woke up. Went to work. Came home." His answers were automatic.

"And did you see Hermione Granger yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"At work. She followed me down to the Department of Mysteries, annoyed me all day until I took her to see Weasley."

"Which Weasley? Ginny?"

"That's right."

"And what happened then?"

"I told her about Granger following me and how she stood beside her and she didn't believe me. She attacked me after that."

"I see." The Healer's quill scribbled notes and the loud scratching sounds of the quills against the parchments in the Observation room filled my ears. "And, where is Miss Granger now?"

"She slipped out the door when you walked in. Probably on the other side of the glass knowing her." He glanced at the glass and nodded in greeting and I uncrossed my arms for a second as everyone in the room looked around uneasily.

The Healer glanced at the window and adjusted her spectacles before turning to look back at Draco.

"I see. And why is it no one can see her?"

"I don't know. But whatever she does or says only I can see and hear."

"...do you know that Miss Granger hasn't been home for quite some time, would you know where she is?"

"I don't know. But we're trying to figure that out."

"'We'?"

"Granger and I, she asked me to help her. She was working on something before she went missing."

"And would that something put her in danger?"

"Apparently." Draco's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "She's _missing_ isn't she? She's out there somewhere but I know her spirit—or something or other—is haunting _me_ and I need to get her off my back."

The Healer waited until the quill stopped writing before asking her next question. "Alright Mr. Malfoy, so what happened after the encounter with Miss Weasley?"

"I went home, Granger followed and then Potter and Weasley's brother burst in unannounced, wands blazing."

"And?"

"They left and then I took a shower." I stood up straighter; he hadn't mentioned the bargain he'd made with Ginny...but wasn't he under the influence of Veritaserum? He couldn't fight it like anyone would an Unforgivable Curse; but then again those who were mentally unstable could not be held credible to what they say—Barty Crouch Jr. was an example of this as I well knew.

"And when did Mr. Potter and the team arrive at your Manor?" She glanced down at her notes for a moment.

"In the morning."

"So what happened in the night time? Did you see Miss Granger the entire time or just during the daytime?"

"No she stayed the night, she can't leave. We slept together." He answered simply, unashamed of what he'd said.

I blushed instantly and Ron turned an angry shade of red, Ginny cleared her throat and the others shuffled their feet. Harry had no reaction.

"I see." The Healer said with more emotion this time, I could see she'd raised her eyebrow before continuing.

"And, why can't Miss Granger leave? Are you keeping her in the Manor?"

"No, she's tied to me somehow. Everywhere I go she goes."

"Like a spell?"

"More than that."

"Mhm." She nodded and looked towards the glass before standing up. "Thank you Mr. Malfoy." She walked towards the door and in a moment she was in the Observation room. She released a long sigh before she spoke.

"So? Is he a complete nutter?" Ron asked angrily, folding his arms. Ginny said nothing but Harry looked eager for news.

"That's the thing Mr. Weasley. He told the truth. We used Veritaserum and every word he said is true—but with suspects like Mr. Malfoy, it's very easy for them to bend the truth. You see, some witches and wizards can resist its effects while others cannot; I'm afraid it cannot be used as definite proof of guilt or innocence."

"So what are you saying?" Harry asked, but I suspected he already knew, the explanation was just for Ron's benefit.

"As long as Mr. Malfoy _believes_ his story to be true, it will be, and not even Veritaserum will change that."

"So he _is_ a nutter." Ron said, confirming his belief before turning to Harry, "alright so should we hold him for the rest of the investigation?"

Harry considered this for a moment. "Is there _any_ way that Malfoy's word can be trusted?"

"He seemed pretty convinced that Hermione was there." Ginny added. Ron was flabbergasted that his sister and best friend were trying to take Draco's word on the matter.

"Mr. Potter, what Mr. Malfoy was describing is a classic case of paranormal delusions. He believes he's seeing Miss Granger even though she's not really there. Talking, touching, having _relations_ with her while she's not present—clearly he has some form of extreme obsession. The only thing I can do is prescribe a potion for him but he must be moved to the psychiatric ward in St. Mungo's."

"Oh he's obsessed alright." Ron agreed and I rolled my eyes, for goodness sake Ron, 'sleeping' can just mean sleeping, why does it _have_ to mean sex? For some strange reason I didn't want them all to think ill of Draco.

"Thank you." Harry said, shaking the Healer's hand as she left. He sighed heavily, massaging the bridge of his nose, raising his glasses. Ginny walked up behind him and massaged his shoulders. My eyes wandered to her stomach and I noticed she wore a nice cashmere sweater under the cloak that hid her growing belly. I wondered if she told Harry yet.

I left the room and went back to the interrogation room. Draco looked up as I entered.

"Well?" He asked.

"They think you're mental." I said with a sigh.

"Well that's just great." He sounded angry.

"Well if you keep talking to nothing you'll definitely confirm their suspicions." I stated. I jumped when he slammed his fist on the table.

"Well what the bloody fuck am I supposed to do?" He shouted.

"Stop it." I said. He ignored me and stood. "STOP!" I shouted, knocking the goblet over in my anger. Draco stood, silent, looking behind me. Harry had walked in and froze half-way between coming through the door. He was looking down at the goblet and then up at Draco.

Draco merely looked at Harry and shrugged his shoulders. "Told you."

"I came to let you know...we're letting you go." It seemed that whatever decision they'd come to inside the Observation room didn't matter because Harry just changed the verdict. There was the muffled sound of a pound against the glass and I suspected Ron had angrily punched it after hearing Harry's words.

An hour later we were in my flat. Draco was picking his way through my objects. We'd gone back to the Manor for him to change before apparating to my flat. It was magically secured but Harry had come with us. He watched Draco with a wary eye as he leafed through my things, pushing them aside with his wand as if afraid to touch my muggle-born objects.

Everything was neatly piled and stacked and I thought I heard Draco scoff at my neatness when he walked in. They searched my dingy kitchen and bathroom before moving into my room—still untouched from the day I disappeared—I tried to help as best I could but I couldn't remember where I hid the files I had been working on.

I checked under my bed and between objects but there was nothing. Harry checked the other side of the room while Draco went through my dresser. He didn't seem interested in my stories but my lingerie caught his eye. I slapped his hand.

"Do not touch."

He snickered as he pushed my neatly-folded knickers aside and observed the rest of the drawer before moving onto different drawers. I sighed tiredly. "There's nothing. I wouldn't hide it in plain sight."

"A lot of good that will do us."

"What?" Harry looked up, thinking Draco was speaking to him.

"Granger was just saying she wouldn't leave something important lying around. I mean if it was enough to get her kidnapped then she wouldn't leave it under her pillow now would she?"

Harry looked at him, unsure of how to respond to a comment like that.

"Has Ginny told him yet?"

"Told him what?" Draco inquired.

"Just ask him." I said impatiently.

"Potter," Harry looked up again, "Has Weasleyette told you yet? Granger wants to know." He added at the end, still searching through my things for a clue. Harry was momentarily lost for words about how blunt Draco was being about something so important.

"About...the baby?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Oh Harry I'm so happy for you two. I wish I could hug you." My voice broke and my chin trembled with joy, I tried to smile through my tears.

Draco awkwardly put a hand on the small of my back. "Don't cry." He turned to Harry, "She's happy for you."

Harry set his jaw and nodded in thanks. I went over and hugged him anyway. Draco watched me and in turn Harry watched Draco's gaze. "She's hugging you." He explained and Harry hesitantly hugged the air in front of him. He made his arms a little too wide but I held him tight.

"Alright Granger enough for one day, let's look somewhere else." Draco interrupted and I instantly wanted to slap him.

"The only other place would be the office but—"

"Let's go then." He announced interrupting me.

"Do you think Hermione would hide _important_ files in the Department?" Harry asked sceptically.

"He's right I wouldn't." I supplied.

"Well then where else should we look Granger!" He snapped, grabbing me by my shoulders. I struggled against him.

"Let go of me!"

"Malfoy." Harry said, taking a step forward, unsure of what to do.

"LET GO." I demanded and Draco released me, fuming.

I collapsed onto my bed, taking off my heels and throwing them across the room where they cracked the dresser's mirror slightly—Harry seemed to hear something but I was unsure of whether or not he'd seen the glass fracture momentarily before returning to normal, as if I wasn't there, as if nothing happened.

"I can't do this. I just wish it would end already. I can't go on. I give up." I whispered, tears falling slowly down my face.

Draco calmed himself before moving to sit beside me on the bed. He stroked my hair away from my neck and in a spontaneous act of passion put his mouth close to my neck, comforting me.

"Don't," he whispered, "Please, don't give up on me..." It was such an intimate moment that I forgot Harry was in the room. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and I realised how strange the scene before him looked; Draco stroking thin air, nuzzling his face against nothing, whispering things to someone who wasn't there. I sniffled and pulled away from Draco.

"We have to find those case files." I said sombrely, getting up off the bed, wiping away my tears. Before I was through the door Draco stormed past me and slammed the front door. I looked at Harry who sighed loudly, taking in one last glance at the room.

"This is going to be a long investigation." Before he shut the door to the room he spoke silently, "Where are you Hermione?"

"I'm here Harry." Fighting the overwhelming feeling that everything was out of my control, I followed them both out the door, "I'm here."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Wow i'm getting quick at updating these yay lol. It's probably just cuz it's summer :P. Sorry it's so long usually each chapter of Crossroad Blues comes out to 9 pages on microsoft word, and around 4,000 words, but with this i just felt i needed to add certain scenes and when i got to the 9 page mark i felt it still needed wrapping up and it didnt feel like a complete chapter. I mean gosh the time goes by so fast and i dont know HOW i get to 9 pages so fast everytime! But yeah with this chapter i think it was 13 pages and 5,000ish words? Iono yeah, sorry if it's too long and hard to read? :( :( I have such a problem with editing :P I got a few complaints about it over on Fix You (my other story on here on hold till i can recover some files from my deleted USB thingy) anyway to SnacoGranger lol!!!!!!!!! You can picture whomever you want! Im not saying THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE DEMON lol not in any way at all! I youtubed a vid of Joe and he's great too! I just found that Gilbert is much more funnier to listen to and he can pull of the creeper/sarcastic voice (Iago from Aladdin and the Beetle from Thumbelina :P) so yeah it can be whoever you want just as long as you enjoy the story/plot/characters I'M HAPPY and when I'M HAPPY, EVERYONE'S HAPPY lol jk jk But reviews will earn you guys freshly baked cookies, the chocolate all gooey and warm and baked within them are my love and happiness!!!

ahhaha i sound like i'm on uppers :P my sister probably snuck some into my water a few hours ago so i would stop sulking ;)

happy reading! Thanks for reviewing so far guys, love you all!

-k-

**A/N: UPDATE: I've fixed this chapter like the others, hope you like it so far!  
R&R= 3!!!**


	5. Acceptance

**Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P **

**Crossroad Blues**

"_I believe you."_

"_You do?"_

"_Despite what everyone else thinks, yes."_

Stage Five: Acceptance

I watched as Harry and Draco pushed past the streaming witches and wizards that struggled to make their way into the lifts for the day's lunch hour. Harry spoke to my co-workers while Draco ransacked my desk. My co-workers were unhelpful but Harry thanked them nonetheless.

"Anything?" I asked Draco but he shook his head.

"Nothing. Everything is organised in your filing cabinets but nothing is hidden, magically or otherwise."

I ran my fingers through my hair as best I could, considering my curls. I put my hands on my defined hips. I suddenly wished I could just be wearing something other than this God-forsaken tight pencil skirt and oxford shirt and blasted heels. I kicked them off across the Department and Draco watched with disinterest as they hit another co-worker who took no notice.

"God, God where could they be? GOD DAMN IT!" I threw a small tantrum, wiping the files off my desk, screaming with frustration. I put my hands over my face and crouched down, my bare feet cool against the cold tiles beneath me.

"Don't blame God sweetheart, your forgetfulness is my boss' doin' I'm afraid."

I jumped. It was _him_. The entire world around me froze once more. He sat atop my cubicle, lighting a cigar with a flame that protruded out the tip of his finger.

"Because if you remembered everything, there wouldn't be much of a challenge now would there?" He winked but I ignored him and remained crouched.

"So you're just going to taunt me now? If you have nothing useful to say then _leave_." I spat. He gave me a look that I would have called interest but he didn't act on it. Instead he stood and walked towards me. I straightened with difficulty, considering my heels and once his face was inches from mine he glanced down at his watch.

"Time's a tickin' darlin'. Your heartbeats are just getting slower by the second. Oof boy and all that cold freezing water can't be good for you either?"

My lip trembled. Where was I? I racked my brain for an idea but nothing came to me.

"I reckon three more days ought to do it." He said checking his watch. I nearly had a heart attack.

"THREE? I HAD A WEEK." I screamed at him.

"Sweetheart you won't last three days, I'm being generous here." He crossed his arms. I was speechless. "You always did stay too close to the fire." He winked and was gone as soon as I blinked. The world resumed and the noise hit my ears like a train at full-speed. I considered his words while Draco walked over to me. I tried to hide my tears.

"Think of something?" He had noticed my contemplative face. I wiped my face and focused, looked up at him.

"Maybe."

He turned back to Harry who watched Draco with interest. "Granger might be onto something."

"Let's go." Harry grabbed his cloak as they left with me struggling to keep up in my heels. I kicked them off and ran in my bare feet, catching up with them.

"Shouldn't _I_ be leading the way?"

"If Potter could see you I'm sure you would be, but we have to make a pit stop somewhere first." He explained as we squeezed into a lift.

"Where?" Harry asked.

"Department of Mysteries."

***

Once we reached the Department, Draco led the way through the spinning doors and twisting halls until we were in the Death Chamber. I held my breath—for even that seemed too loud for this place. Harry hesitated and I knew he was reliving that day...

I walked beside him as he slowly circled the dais, watching the black curtain sway in the nonexistent breeze. I put my arm on his shoulder.

"Oh Harry."

He looked up suddenly, then around.

"Wha-who?"

Draco smirked. "I knew this would work. It's Granger. She's talking to you, can you hear her?"

"It's like a whisper, like the whispers behind the curtain."

Draco frowned—apparently he couldn't hear any whispers behind the curtain. Harry strained his ears.

"Hermione? Is that really you? Is Malfoy telling the truth?"

"Harry! Yes, please believe him, I'm out there somewhere in horrible danger! Harry..."I could hear my voice getting smaller and my throat constricting—I guess this was breaking the Rules that only Draco could see or hear me.

"Hermione?" Harry frowned, trying to hear me but no matter what I said to him, it did not become vocalised. Draco noted this.

"I think she isn't allowed to talk to anyone but me..."

I put my hands on either side of Harry's face, trying to get him to look at me. He apparently felt the coolness of my hands against his skin for he brought his hand up slightly.

I took a step back when Draco walked forward.

"Well?" He asked Harry.

"Despite everyone—including myself—thinking you're a nutter, and your..._mental _behaviour, I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yes. I believe you Malfoy." Harry said with confidence and a slight smile that made my eyes mist. Thank you Harry, thank you.

"Good then. Now let's not waste any more time. If we could have the Weasleyette in on this, she was the only other person who was leaning towards an 'I believe you' spectrum."

"Right. Oh, one more thing..." Harry seemed shy, "what you said when you drank the Veritaserum...about you..._sleeping_ with Hermione...?" it didn't sound like a question but men had their own language and form of speaking as did women.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know." Draco taunted and I punched his arm as hard as I could. "HEY!" He glared at me.

"Tell him the truth!" I demanded as Draco smiled at me.

"Did she hit you?" Harry asked, amused.

Draco nodded and Harry seemed pleased to know the answer—wait...he knew the _real_ answer right? RIGHT?!

***

We were back at my flat through the magic of apparition and this time I rummaged while Draco watched me. Harry didn't know what was happening.

"Are we waiting for something—"

"She's searching." Draco said curtly, his eyes never leaving me. Harry owled Ginny in the meantime and she showed up instantly.

"What's going on?" She said as she walked through the door, watching Draco with a suspicious eye.

Harry filled her in and she was, predictably, in shock. Her jaw nearly touched the floor.

"You're sure then?"

"Yes."

I ripped apart pillows and flipped over coffee and side tables, knocking down ornaments and tore books of the shelves. Draco whistled at my carnage.

"A little harsh don't you think? They are _books_ after all." He said with a wink. I told him to sod off. This looked very odd for Ginny and Harry who stood awkwardly, for though I terrorised the den, everything would revert to its immaculate state in the presence of the living. I suppose if I'd taken Ginny's coffee and spilt it on Draco to demonstrate it would be different; the objects had to interact with both Draco and myself.

I stumbled across my mail-drop—where the owls would deliver my letters and the _Prophet_. I saw an interesting front page, it was a few days old but it boiled my blood.

**Wedding of the Century Postponed**

**Manhunt for Missing Ministry Employee Escalates**

**Malfoy Suspect in Missing Employee Case**

_The recent announcement from Harry Potter on matters regarding his nuptials to Ginerva Weasley have shocked many in the wizarding community. Potter has recently cleared the confusion surrounding the delay. "I just can't celebrate something so wonderful knowing my best friend is missing." Recently, Ministry employee and best friend to the Boy Who Lived, Hermione Granger, has disappeared and Potter spoke of the ongoing manhunt to find her. "We are all doing what we can with what little evidence we have. I'm going to find her—even if it kills me." He stated to the press with finality before avoiding reporters completely. His fiancé in question, Miss Ginerva Weasley—sister to Potter's best friend Ronald Weasley—has studiously avoided our intrepid reporters and the only glimpse anyone has had of her has been during the team practices of the all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies. _

_Meanwhile, an inside source from the Auror Department has revealed that they plan to bring in Draco Malfoy for questioning in relation to the missing employee case. It was known to only a handful of graduated Hogwarts students that Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter were school rivals. One can only imagine what chaos will ensue when placed in the same room._

"You put your wedding on hold?" I asked with a quiet, unbelieving voice. I had asked Ginny and Harry this but it was only Draco who heard. I stood, speechless, watching the two of them.

Draco cleared his throat and told them quietly what I'd just discovered. Ginny gasped, her eyes full of sorrow and Harry avoided looking at anything in particular.

There was silence.

I turned away from them and crouched down again, I didn't want Draco to see me cry. He walked over and put his hand on my head and I collapsed to my feet, hooking my arm around his leg, bringing it closer to me. I was angry more than anything that they wouldn't go through with getting married without me there. Draco continued to stroke my head with his thumb, looking down at me and Harry and Ginny would probably assume I've broken down. My eyes wandered to the barren fireplace—why wasn't it lit! God I hated it when it wasn't, the whole flat would be cold—

Something caught my eye. An out-of-place brick. My breathing increased as I crawled towards it on my knees. I nearly missed the brick because I'd stumbled and my eyes were blurred but I caught it tightly and pulled hard. It came loose!

"_You always did stay too close to the fire." _He'd said. Wow. I was in shock, I couldn't believe he'd helped me!

"Draco!" My voice broke as I pulled out a magically-reduced file. I gave it to him and in my haste scraped his hand with it, he bleed a paper-cut bleed but Ginny and Harry saw this and rushed forward.

"What is it?"

"The files." Draco said with awe.

***

Draco enlarged them on the rickety table in the kitchen and we all crowded around eagerly. He opened the folder and skimmed the first page and shook his head. Harry tried to get a clear view by pulling the folder across the table and Draco tried to keep the papers where they were. Ginny put her hand over them to stop the power-struggle.

"Here, let's each take a few." She said angrily and the boys reluctantly agreed. Thank God Ginny was here. I looked under Harry's arm at the papers I'd been working on. Harry's stack had been lists of confiscated items—I only referred to them by their product number so I had no idea what it was I'd confiscated. I moved to Ginny's pile and it was a list of names I'd written hastily.

"Jackoby Harrington, Liz Shelly, Hogan Mills..." I read aloud. Draco looked in my direction.

"Anything ringing a bell?" Ginny looked at him.

"What?" She asked.

"I marked 'M' beside those who are muggles, I frequently do that in my work." I explained.

"Alright. 'M' means they're muggles." Draco explained to the other two and Ginny looked back down at the paper full of names.

Harry was skimming his own papers when Draco spoke.

"I've got locations. Look," he showed us the papers and I pointed out the map I had in there.

"It forms a triangular location. Look," I put my finger on a scribbled circle on a county in the middle of the triangle-points.

He moved the map sideways and squinted to read my writing.

"Behind...the...warehouse..." He pulled the paper away.

"I'll assemble a team." Harry said, his jaw set, his brows furrowed in determination. He apparated and I was left with Ginny and Draco. My heart pounded wildly—this was it, they were going to find me. I was sure of it. I glanced out the dingy kitchen window and my heart skipped a beat. Darkness was falling.

Ginny put her hand on her stomach and took a deep, shuddering breath. Draco looked at her strangely.

"You'd better not be going into labour..." He narrowed his eyes and she glared back.

"No you prick. I'm only three months along."

Three months! Oh Ginny! I smiled widely and Draco turned back to the papers.

"We've got to get these analyzed, unless you know what you're talking about Granger?" He asked me. I leaned over the papers on the table, trying to decipher my notes.

"I'm sure it's something big, something very illegal, otherwise I wouldn't have hidden these or have gotten kidnapped."

"What is that?" He asked me, pushing a paper my way. It was a badly-drawn sketch of an object that resembled a spinning top—a cross between a dreidel and a slinky. A flash of remembrance overtook me.

"I know this...I...it's this magical object that..."

"Well?" He nearly shouted. I couldn't find the words so I tried to explain it.

"It can be placed anywhere and it can change all the muggles in the vicinity..."

"Change?" He prompted.

"Change them into witches and wizards...but..."

He raised his eyebrows at this but did not interrupt me.

"But it didn't work, it would...kill them instead." I said in a small voice.

***

We were in the Auror section of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and it was nearing ten o'clock. I bit my lip and wrung my hands as I stood next to Draco who listened intently to Harry—probably for the first time in his life. Harry briefed the Aurors and Draco explained the confiscated object files I had been working on and all the Aurors were on high alert.

"Alright let's do this everyone, let's find her!" Harry shouted and they all cheered, raising their wands, hyped for the rescue mission.

I found there was a cold sensation in my throat but I didn't think anything of it until the room was almost empty as everyone filed out; Draco turned to speak to me.

"Don't worry Granger, we'll find you."

I opened my mouth but I couldn't say anything. What?

I put my hand to my throat and Draco put his hand over mine. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged my shoulders, I didn't know. I looked around, for the first time _hoping_ to see the demon but he was nowhere in sight.

"C'mon." He took me by the arm and led me out of the empty Auror department.

We followed Harry as he spoke urgently to Ginny.

"I can't let you come—"

She stuck her wand under his throat and Draco reached for his wand.

"Listen to me Harry, I'm going with you. Hermione is my best friend. I'm going, and I don't need you're permission."

I stood in shock at Ginny's behaviour. Harry had his hands out in surrender, though I suspected he could easily overpower her.

"Alright." He seceded, "alright darling, let's go." He lowered his hands when she lowered her wand and he took her hand in his. I couldn't believe he was allowing his pregnant fiancé to go on a dangerous manhunt for magical criminals.

Draco raised an eyebrow and I think I heard him whisper something that sounded vaguely like 'whipped' before we followed them into the lifts.

***

_**Two Days Remain**_

It was midnight when the Auror team ambushed the warehouse. I ran into the fray with the charging Aurors, by Draco's side as they fired spells at the patrolling wizards who attacked back.

There was shouting and flashes of light as spells were fired and were deflected at the same time. I wished I could fight with them as they finally broke through the barriers protecting the warehouse.

There were a lot more people inside, working on the objects I'd been researching. They pulled out their wands too late as the skilled Aurors struck them.

Draco kept pulling me back or bringing me down as spells flew close to us and I wondered why, it's not as if I could be hurt. I noticed Ginny crouching behind boxes as she fired a spell over the box-pyramid. I wondered where Harry was, but I didn't have time to think about it as a spell hit me squarely in the chest—well, it flew through me but Draco cursed as he pulled me down to where Ginny was hiding, he slammed against the hard boxes and took a breather.

"Tired Malfoy?" Ginny taunted with a smile. I shook my head, how could she be having fun at a time like this.

"Not as tired as you make Potter," he taunted back and I shut my eyes, still shaking my head, "I have more stamina in bed, if you ever want to find out you know where to find me." He winked before jumping up and firing another few spells wordlessly.

A few minutes later there was a ceasefire. I peeked over the boxes and saw that Harry had captured what seemed to be the leader. He had his wand pointed at his throat and his hands seemed to be bound in front of him. I couldn't see his face from where I was but I was sure he was someone I would recognize.

"Drop your wands!" Harry commanded to the remaining opposing wizards. They reluctantly dropped their weapons and the Aurors Accio-ed them towards their outstretched hands. Ginny stood and dusted herself off as Draco rose slowly.

I wondered why he was so hesitant. I ran up to where Harry was on the metal walk-way overlooking the work floor below. I looked into the face of the ring leader. It was him, the man I tracked down and spoke to about the magical objects. His was the last face I'd seen before, nothing.

I gestured frantically at Draco about the ring leader but because I could no longer speak he was paying attention to Harry and the others.

"Alright, round them up and take them in." Harry said with authority. "C'mon." He hauled the leader back into the window-less office at the other end of the suspended walkway. I followed but felt the tug that tied me to Draco. I motioned for him to follow Harry but he glanced around suspiciously.

***

"Where is she!" Harry shouted, slamming his fist on the metal-topped table. Draco stood off to the side, hidden in the shadows and Ginny just walked in with Ron a few seconds ago. Ron lunged forward as soon as he was in the room and everyone was too stunned by his actions to stop him.

He fell with the leader and continued to punch him when they were on the floor, Harry and Draco jumped forward to stop him and attempted to pull the struggling Ron off the leader who smiled with maliciousness.

I watched him with disgust; there was blood in and around his mouth but he smiled through his pain, his dark eyes trained on Ron. When he was righted off the ground his eyes flickered and lingered onto Ginny in the background. She took half-a-step back and it was Harry's turn to lose control. He reached forward and grabbed the leader by the front of his shirt.

"HEY, DON'T LOOK AT HER, LOOK AT ME!"

The man continued to smile.

"WHERE IS SHE!" Harry shouted, his voice filling the room.

But the man's laughter was so eerie that we all held our breaths.

"You'll never find her."

***

Hours later we all stood behind the Observation glass as Harry interrogated the leader—named Jackoby 'Jack' Harrington—I found that I was shivering uncontrollably. I tried to keep myself warm but it felt as though the cold seeped down into my bones; I also found it difficult—if not impossible—to breathe through my mouth so I settled for slow, even breaths in and out of my nose.

Even with Veritaserum it took a long while to get everything out of Jack, there was a _lot_ of things that he needed to account for.

All his goons were locked up in Azkaban until their trials and the warehouse was being searched even now. It was well past five in the morning and still we had not come to the topic of where my body was. Harry did not look nor seem tired and so I trusted that he would get there eventually; I looked over to Ginny who had sat in one of the chairs and had propped her head up with her hand. She was slowly nodding off, opening her eyes only when Harry shouted at Jack—with the cooperation of Veritaserum he was yelling less often and so now Ginny was asleep in the chair. Ron was so close to the window it was a wonder he did not storm into the room and ask questions himself. The door opened. Seamus arrived with the coffees. He distributed them out amongst the remaining Aurors—I noticed he didn't give one to Draco and I wanted to console Draco for some strange reason—I mean, it was only coffee, calm down Hermione.

"I think it's best if you just leave Malfoy." Seamus said with a little too much bitterness in his voice. Ginny opened her eyes, sensing a fight.

"Seamus—" She began but Draco cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"No, it's alright. Let me know if he says anything." He indicated Jack before leaving the room; I reluctantly followed. _I'm running out of time..._I wish I could explain this concept to Draco that I was out there, dying in some horrible fashion—bleeding out? Hanging? I knew it was a watery grave wherever I was. But, wherever that was, I was dying slowly and...painfully, it was a new sensation but I felt jagged pains in my back and sides and the cold feeling in my throat did not go away.

Draco apparated us back to the Mansion and when we were in his room he finally turned to look at me. "Why so silent?" He questioned and I once again motioned to my throat, this time making it clear I could only breath through my nose. He took off his cloak and threw it across an already-covered-with-clothes armchair before settling himself on the bed. He began to pull off his shoes tiredly and did not look at me. I watched with impatience as he tried to undo the laces of his black, shiny shoes. Frustrated, I reached over and yanked them off. He allowed me to remove them and his socks before I stood back and put my hands on my hips.

"What, not going to finish the job?" He teased me with a wink and I responded by crossing my arms. He inhaled deeply and tried to remove his shirt with no success—I knew he was faking but by some impulse I reached out and pulled it off. He grabbed my waist and pulled me close to him where I stood between his legs. My hands were on his broad, muscular shoulders and I found myself lost in his stormy grey eyes. A second later we had locked lips. It was not slow and sweet, it was urgent and passionate. He brought me so close that our bodies were glued together, my hands suddenly made their way into his hair.

A second later he'd removed my dark blue blouse with expert skill for his mouth had never left mine. I pushed against his shoulders, I needed to slow down—there was only so much air I could intake through my nose. He reluctantly released my lips but put his head against my chest, listening to my heart—or the illusion of my heart beating—hugging me close to him.

I don't think he's ever felt this kind of love, I concluded, brushing back his hair, my chest rising and falling slowly, slightly unevenly from our earlier activities. I could feel his fingers tracing patterns on my lower back and felt chills rise along my arms from the combination of the cold feeling that didn't go away and the warm feeling he emanated from his fingers.

"I like it better when you're silent."

And Malfoy was back. I rolled my eyes and tried to detangle myself from his grasp but he laughed—God it was a sexy laugh—and pulled me onto the bed with him.

He was above me, suspending his weight evenly, supporting himself through his muscled arms. He watched me and I suddenly blushed—I _hated _it when people just stared, analyzing, judging—but the way he looked at me was different, he looked—gosh I can't find a word for it, there is no way to describe it...

He leaned down and began to place small kisses across my neck, chest, stomach and then—_Bang, Bang, Bang_.

He growled in anger and rolled off of me, leaving the room to see who was at the door. I followed hastily, grabbing his shirt and my blouse on the way.

_Bang, Bang, Bang_

I pulled mine on and tossed Draco his before he answered the door.

It was Ginny, she seemed breathless.

The cold feeling grew stronger in my throat but now it had a texture—water—and the jagged phantom objects at my back and sides felt like rocks—_rocks under the water_, I thought in horror. I gripping my throat, willing myself to calm myself down. I had to take even breaths through my nose...that's it, nice and slow, you're going to be fine...I needed to reassure myself but then Ginny spoke, still breathing heavily.

"We know where she is."

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun!!! :P Thanks for the reviews, much appreciated, I'm working on the last chapter as we speak so after one more upload it'll be complete!!!!!!!!! yay!!!!!!! lol ok so ummm not sure what else to say? Hope u like it so far? R&R!

-K-

**A/N: UPDATE: Chapter=Fixed, almost there guys! R&R!!!**


	6. Rebirth

****

Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P

**Crossroad Blues**

"_I knew you could do it."_

"_Please don't leave, don't leave me!" _

Stage Six: Rebirth

"Well what the hell are we standing around here for then? Let's go find her!" Draco shouted, making sure he had his wand he glanced back at me. I was in such shock that I couldn't move. The magic that bound me to Draco pulled me along as he ran down the cobblestone path to the apparition point.

"It was Ron in the end, he broke into the interrogation room and beat it out of him."

"Finally Weasley put his brawn-vs.-brains to use." Draco said as Ginny explained the situation.

We reached the apparition point and Ginny grasped Draco's hand in hers, closing her eyes in concentration. I blinked and we were there.

We seemed to be in the middle of a large clearing and the wind was strong, whipping our hair and cloaks around us painfully. I could scarcely hear what Ginny was shouting over the headwinds. The grass in the clearing reached our hips and swayed to one side from the force of the wind. We waded through the field, making our way towards what seemed to be the edge of a cliff.

The countryside was unfamiliar but at the same time nagged at the back of my brain as I tried to place the northern landscape. The cold November air nipped at us but I felt the frigid waters around my lost body entomb me and I hugged myself. There was a distant rumbling and I knew a storm was coming.

Draco stood, his feet at the very edge and leaned forward to scan the bottom. Ginny stood a steps back, searching the area around the clearing.

I suddenly couldn't breathe—the water filled my mouth and suddenly I was soaking wet. Draco, as if sensing my distress, turned to face me. He ran over and gripped my shoulders to keep me up.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, distressed.

I clawed and struggled to breathe, Draco tried to calm me but I was shivering so violently he couldn't sedate me.

"She can't breathe!" Draco shouted, his eyes widened as he took in my soaked appearance. "Water..."

"What?" Ginny asked, breathing deeply, the panic in her voice was evident.

"Water, she's in the water!" He shouted, but in a second I slipped through his hand, he tried to pick me up again but his hands went right through me. Oh God, I was slipping away...leaving the solidity of the living—I was dying. "NO!" Draco shouted. He got up and ran to the edge of the cliff again.

"MALFOY NO!" Ginny shouted as he cast himself off the edge. The magic that bound me to him was fading but it was strong enough to transport me to the bottom of the cliff. He'd jumped and landed in the water—there was a fast-moving river at the bottom. I seemed to be suspended over the water as I watched the scene unfold before me.

He resurfaced and if I had any air in my lungs I would have breathed a sigh of relief. The popping noises of apparition sounded above our heads and I guessed the cavalry had arrived.

Draco swam with the current, searching.

"Malfoy?" Someone shouted from above and I looked, it looked like Harry but I couldn't tell from where I was.

"I've found her! She's here!" He bellowed back and I whipped my head back to see where Draco was. He was headed towards something...a hand sticking out of the water, resting on a rock—it was me!

I wore the same outfit I was confined to wearing, but the skirt and shirt were ripped and smeared with dirt and blood. My skin was so blue that it was a wonder I was even alive; my face, arms, and legs were covered in bruises and cuts. Draco heaved my water-logged body out of the river and braced himself from the current by leaning against the rocks where my body had lodged itself. He moved my hair out of my face and put his ear close to my mouth. I tried to get his attention—he needed to clear my airway, the water had to be pumped out. There was shouting as the Aurors ran on the riverbank, trying to reach Draco and my body. Draco cradled my body, unsure of what to do but I could tell he was scared for me.

Overhead the heavens opened up and released the rain.

Thankfully Harry launched himself into the water and half-swam over to Draco. He helped pull me out of the water and once we were on the muddy bank Harry pushed Draco away—without much luck, he clung to me for dear life—and began to perform CPR, and in that moment I was eternally grateful that Harry had grown up with muggles. He parted my dark blue lips and breathed air into my lungs before pumping on my chest.

My spirit felt the air enter my body before my corpse did and I was able to speak. I coughed and inhaled deeply. Draco, hearing this, turned his head to look at me through the heavy rain. I was beside him, and I leaned my tired head against his shoulder.

"I knew you could do it. I knew you'd find me." I whispered, as the life slowly seemed to ebb out of me.

"No, don't...don't leave. Please don't leave me. I need you." He begged, and they were either tears or the rain, but something streaked down his face.

I stroked his cheek and I felt myself slipping away into nothingness.

"No!" He shouted, pulling my limp body up to cradle it against himself. "No..." he whispered and I felt a tear fall on my cheek, warmer than the rain and the water I'd been encased in earlier, "I love you." He whispered. It was the last thing I heard.

***

When I opened my eyes I found myself in the middle of a dirt road—a crossroad—it was dark. I put my hand to my head to steady my brain that felt loose in my skull. I spotted the cause of my misery sitting on a dead tree's branch. In a moment he was beside me.

"Finally. You sleep like the dead." He complained and my heart sank. So this was it. I was dead. I said nothing. "Let's go." He said with a loud exhale, tossing the cigar to the side. He walked to exactly the middle of the crossroads and snapped his fingers. The dirt cleared itself in a bizarre reverse-effect of packing dirt into a hole. A small box flew out and he caught it. Opening it he pulled out something small that I couldn't see in the dark. He walked back to me and for the first time I noticed he had a disgruntled look on his face. He handed me the small object and I opened my palm.

It was a lock of my hair.

I remembered now.

It was what I used to seal our Deal—the Deal that gave me extra time to 'live' while I fulfilled his wishes. I was confused as to why he was giving it back to me. He waved his hand in the direction to my right.

"Well go on then." He sounded irritated and my heart started beating faster—was I saved from going to Hell then? Had Heaven accepted me after I saved Draco's soul? I hesitantly began to walk the dirt road that seemed to stretch on for miles of darkness.

Finally I saw 'The Light' and my step quickened until I was running, my hand clenched the lock of hair painfully and then—the blank whiteness surrounded my every sense.

***

Someone was stroking my forehead; soft, small hands...I tried to open my eyes but they felt heavy and the small attempt to try to open them hurt so I abandoned the effort. There was the sound of something opening—a door?—before it was quietly shut, then whispering.

"How is she?" It was a man.

"Still asleep." A woman, closer to me, probably the one stroking my hair. "Malfoy?" She questioned, still extremely quiet.

"There's almost done questioning him. Harry's giving the press an official statement as we speak." The man said.

"Still questioning him? They've had him for days!" The woman sounded angry but she did not raise her voice above the whisper.

"I know, you should see how angry he is by now." The man said. He sounded exhausted, they both did. I willed myself to move but nothing happened.

"Have the Healers stopped by today?" He asked with concern. The woman momentarily stopped stroking my forehead.

"This morning, but they haven't given me any updates yet."

The man sighed and presumably moved closer, for when he next spoke he sounded close.

"And you? You haven't had any rest in days. Didn't the Healer tell you it's not good for the baby if you don't rest—"

"Ron please don't start on me too, I've already had Harry give me a lecture I don't need one from you." It was Ron and Ginny I concluded. The door opened again and Ginny stood, her hand gone from my forehead.

"Any news?" Ron asked.

The newest person sighed and shut the door.

"Nothing new I'm afraid," it was a woman, "she's stable and conscious but there's nothing else to report."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ginny asked.

"At this point, it's better to wait and see what happens next. It's nothing short of a miracle that she managed to survive."

"Alright thank you." Ron said, sounding dejected.

The Healer left but encountered someone on her way out.

"Oh, hullo Mr. Potter."

"Hullo." Harry sounded even more exhausted than the Weasley siblings.

His footsteps were heavy with weariness but he trudged over to Ginny and kissed her lightly—Ron cleared his throat silently.

"There's someone who wants to see her." Harry said quietly. He put his hand over mine before the three of them left the room. Ron said something to the person outside the door but I couldn't hear what it was.

The door closed and the silent footsteps that I knew so well walked towards me. His warm hand took mine and brought it to his lips.

I finally opened my eyes.

He was seated in the chair beside the cot that I lay in. His head was bent but he did not let go of my unresponsive hand. I tried to move or make any signal that I was awake but no part of me responded to my brain's commands.

***

He fell asleep fairly quickly—he must have been awake for the days I was in St. Mungo's. His grip on my hand remained firm and I smiled.

An hour later I could finally lift my other arm and I brought it over to stroke Draco's hair. I watched him from my pile of pillows and realised the pain I was in before they found me was gone—from what I could tell from my arms the cuts and bruises were healed.

He opened his eyes and saw that I was awake—there was something in his eyes I'd never seen before. I smiled wearily. He sat up, unbelieving that I was awake.

"Hermione..." He took my hand in both of his, half rising out of his chair.

"You're here." I stated, and after it came out of my mouth I realised it was a stupid thing to say.

"You're awake..." His voice was hoarse—as if he'd been shouting for a long time.

I smiled and reached for his face. He reached for mine, putting my face between both of his strong ones, while I put my weak hand on his cheek. He smiled in relief and started to laugh through his sadness. He reached down and kissed me.

It was deep and passionate, slow and full of...love.

He got on the cot, his knee between my legs, removing his hands from my face and putting them on either side of my head to support himself. The kiss depended but we didn't stop and I felt tears of joy come down from my closed eyes.

***

I recounted my story to Harry, Ron and Ginny later on, holding Draco's hand the entire time. After the Deal was completed I remembered everything that led me up to that point and what I'd been investigating.

I remembered the hours of torture from Jack and his minions before they finally took me out to the cliff and threw my body over the edge—I had been near death from the torture of the Unforgivable curse but once they cast me into the cold water I slowly bled out, froze, and drowned to death—or near death—Draco gripped my hand tighter when I got to this part.

After I hit the water I told them of how I woke up in my flat where I proceeded to go to work and where everyone had ignored me. I spoke of when Ginny came to see me, her news about the baby—she apologized to Draco and he just nodded gravely—and then when Harry and Ron came around—I interrupted myself.

"Ron...please shave that beard." Ginny laughed and Harry smiled while Ron was shocked to learn that. Draco smirked but remained silent.

I drank the water reluctantly—my body needed it but my brain still rejected the traumatic element. Draco helped me and I took note of how the three of them watched him strangely. It must have been bizarre of course, to see Draco Malfoy, Asshole of Slytherin dote on me, a mudblood.

After everything was said and done much apologies from Harry, Ron and Ginny ensued—Draco had been right that I _was_ present with him the entire time. They stayed for another hour, just to be with me, to experience that I was alive. They smiled, hugged, and kissed me hundreds of times before reluctantly leaving—a Healer's helper (much like a muggle intern or nurse) had come around to let them know visiting hours were over. Draco held my hand as he slowly walked away, my hand slipping out of his grip the further he got. His eyes never left me and when he was gone I felt the smile disappear off my face.

***

It was three more days before I was released. The Healer's were stumped at my amazing recovery—when Harry and the others brought me in I was a few minutes from death; Harry'd bought be some time by performing CPR but I still wasn't in the clear.

Ginny wouldn't leave my side and Ron supported me as we left the room—I insisted I didn't need help but Ron wouldn't hear any of it. I wondered desperately where Draco was but I didn't ask any of them what'd happened.

"We won't apparate back to your flat, we'll take a cab." Ginny insisted and I was too tired to argue.

Harry and Ron had to report to the Head of the Auror Department—he wasn't happy about something. I bid them goodbye and they said they would drop by as soon as they were able.

The ride took longer than it should have because of traffic but I was a patient muggle-born girl—the same could not be said for Ginny. She tapped her foot, huffed, and kept checking the time. I enjoyed the change of view as we slowly made our way to my flat.

When we finally arrived Ginny paid the exact amount and nothing more—I tipped the driver when Ginny wasn't looking—and a few steps later we were back in my flat.

It felt strange and surreal, as if I could touch everything now, when before I could only look. I experimented by lifting things off the tables and surfaces. I slowly made my way further into the apartment remembering the days I'd come through here with Draco by my side. I found myself wanting to be near him; wanting to have that magical connection again. My room was exactly as I left it and though it would have given me distress before, I left my bed unmade—in the same state as that fateful day I'd gone missing. Ginny put her arms around me but I didn't need comforting. I needed a reality check.

"I'll stay the night, just until you get settled back in." She announced before unpacking her suitcase from her small purse. She enlarged it and set it beside the dresser. I didn't protest—I wanted company, afraid to be alone but I didn't want to admit that. I suddenly felt exposed.

"Ginny?"

"Yes?"

"Where's my wand..."

She looked sad for a moment. "Oh Hermione...Jack said he didn't know, but no one can find it and we're assuming it got lost—"

"In the river." I finished, and felt myself stoop down to a whole new level of sadness. "Well," I tried to sound optimistic, "we just need to pass by Diagon Alley tomorrow then." I thought back on my luck with wands. I'd lost my 10¾" vine wood wand with a dragon heartstring core back in 1998—Snatchers—I shuddered at the memories of being on the road; I remembered using Bellatrix's awful wand until I'd retrieved my vine wood—but now it was probably gone forever. I tried hard not to sulk but it was difficult—even for me.

There was nothing to do but sleep and hope tomorrow was a better day.

***

The next morning—after a fitful sleep—Ron arrived, explaining Harry was the one in trouble with the Head of the Department but when I asked what was happening he brushed my questions off.

"Let's get you a new wand shall we?" Ginny interrupted, keeping the peace. They made sure I drank the prescribed potion the Healer gave me when I was discharged from St. Mungo's and we set off—by side-a-long-apparition we arrived at Diagon Alley. Those who read the _Prophet_ watched me walk by, some smiled at my recovery. We found Ollivander's in a heartbeat and walked in. The old man was so frail I was afraid I would break his hand when he shook mine.

"Ms. Granger! How wonderful it is to hear of your safe return!" He shuffled along at a slow pace to where the wands were behind the glass counter. "Most unfortunate about your wand." He seemed sad—not as sad as I was, but still—we spent the next hour going through various wands before we settled on: 11" vine wood with a unicorn hair core. I was glad some part of it was like my original wand.

We parted ways with Ollivander before deciding to get something to eat. I picked at my food, hardly eating anything before Ginny sighed loudly.

"Please eat."

I ate one forkful of the food before pushing the plate away. Ron looked worried.

"What shall we do next?" Ginny asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Plan your wedding." I said with a steely gaze, raising my eyebrow as I continued: "I cannot _believe _you postponed it." I stood and put my napkin on the uneaten food before fishing around my pockets for a few galleons.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh for Heaven's sake Ron you can't babysit me at all hours of the day." I scolded gently. He stood but I put a hand up to stop him. I turned to Ginny. "I'm going to meet with some people for the wedding."

"After that?" She prompted.

"I'm going straight back to the flat."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Promise." I said. I gave them both long hugs before leaving.

***

It was a long day—I met with Madam Malkin to get updates on the wedding dress and suits, then the bakery wedged between Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and Flourish and Blotts to discuss the final touches on the cake; after that I spoke with the wizards in charge of the space we were renting out for the ceremony and reception. Following those visits; I spoke with the Weird Sisters' manager to make sure they were still booked for the same wedding date.

By the time I was back at the flat I was more than exhausted—the urge to see Draco nagged at the back of my mind all day and now that I found myself doing nothing it jumped to the front of my thoughts. I rubbed my hands over my face to clear my thoughts. Checking the clock over the mantelpiece, I deduced it was too late to make a courtesy call to the Malfoy Manor.

_Tomorrow morning._

_Maybe tomorrow afternoon. He could be working tomorrow morning._

_Late afternoon...He could be working late tomorrow._

_Maybe I should just wait until he tries to contact me?_

_I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to bed. _

I slapped my cheeks in an effort to dispel the rampaging thoughts.

I threw my cloak off and it landed in a crumpled pile on the armchair and I continued into my bedroom.

A second later I hurriedly walked back out to pick up the cloak and neatly hang it on the coat-rack. It would have bugged me all night had I left it in that state. I quickly changed, brushed my teeth tiredly and fell into bed not three seconds later. Sleep overtook me—_hours_ later.

***

When I woke up I knew there was someone in my flat. My ears prickled, singling out the noise—the kitchen—I got out of my bed as quietly as I could, picking up my wand from under my pillow—where it spent the entire night gripping my sweaty palm—and cautiously made my way into the kitchen on my tiptoes, my wand aloft.

I tried to control my breathing as I neared the kitchen but my chest rose and fell with dramatic heaves. When I turned the corner I caught the perpetrator. I screamed as we nearly collided. They screamed and dropped the milk carton they'd been carrying, fumbling for their wand, still screaming.

"GINNY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"HOLY FUCK HERMIONE! WHAT THE HELL! You scared the shite out of me!" She shouted back.

"Why did you break in!?" I questioned, stomping my foot, putting a hand to my chest to calm my heart—it pounded against my chest, wanting escape from the cage of bone that encased it.

"I didn't _break in_." She defended, cleaning up the mess with a wave of her wand. I looked behind her and saw the mountain of food decorating the small table.

"Aw Ginny, you didn't have to." I said gently, approaching the food.

"What?"

"You didn't have to make me breakfast."

"I didn't." When I continued to the food she quickly shuffled to move in front of me. "No I really didn't. It's for me." There was such a Ron-like quality about her grin in that moment that it felt like the old days of Hogwarts again.

There was a knock at the door and we both jumped. Ginny went to answer the door with her wand out, much to my protest. She came back with Harry on her heel. His hand left the small of her back when he came over to embrace me.

"How are you?" He asked gently and I smiled.

"Harry I'm fine, I'm not going to self-destruct at any moment." He seemed satisfied with my answer and then moved to kiss Ginny's cheek. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her stomach as she stuffed her face with food. I had a sinking feeling that Ginny's pregnancy would cause her to act more like Ron than ever. Harry reached out to take a piece of toast but Ginny slapped his hand so quick I almost missed it.

"Uh-uh, 'vis is mine." She chastised with a smile, crumbs falling from her mouth. I left the kitchen—the love was too much, it caused a throbbing pain, deep within my chest; I clutched at my chest, wondering what this ache was.

"Listen, Gin, I'm going to finalise some things for the wedding today, so if you could make sure the flat is sealed—"

"Hermione, I would _never_ leave your flat unsecured." Ginny sounded offended from the kitchen and after I was in my room Harry had followed me.

"Where are you going Hermione?" He asked quietly, shutting the door behind him. He seemed too big, too tall, for the room, even though Ron was the tallest, Harry had still experienced an exponential growth spurt all those years ago. He shoved his hands into his pockets uncomfortably.

"To do wedding stuff Harry, can't tell." I winked.

"Where are you _really_ going?"

"Harry, honest, I'm going to make a few deadlines, crack some skulls, and be surrounded by people all day. Promise."

He regarded me with suspicious eyes but I quickly fixed the bed and tried to get to my dresser, he stepped out of my way hastily—apparently he was used to Ginny's morning rush-hour routine. I grabbed a few things and then remembered something, standing up, abruptly a few curls remained in my face and I blew them out of my vision.

"Say! Harry could you speak to the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department? About my job?" I added. "They seem to think I need some time off," I tried to sound casual, but even to my ears I sounded hysterical—I was going through work-withdrawal.

"I agree with them Hermione, you need rest. You've been through quite an ordeal."

"But I'm fine!" I protested.

"You need rest."

"No I don't, honestly, I'm fine—"

He grabbed my shoulders, scaring me slightly at his suddenness.

"You nearly _died_ Hermione—no!—you did die. I can't forgive myself if anything horrible happened to you now." He relaxed his grip but did not let go, I reached up and put my hands on either side of his face.

"But I'm alive _now_. The only way you could possibly keep me safe would be to lock me in a room forever."

He regarded me sadly and then nodded. "You're right, just," he grabbed my hand when I made a move to leave, "just please be safe wherever you go."

***

The day passed by in a blur of anger and shouting at the coordinators and decorators who didn't seem to know one Hall for another, _white_ from _red_, and tulips from lilies—Harry's favourite. I was in such a rage that when I got home I barely noticed the person examining my mantelpiece with disapproval and disgust. I nearly had a heart attack when I did.

Her pointed nose was upturned at the state of my flat—courtesy of Ginny half-moving back in—her ice-blue eyes gazed at me with lazy contempt, her nose and tiny mouth were wrinkled in disgust, as if she was smelling something foul (I vaguely wondered if Ginny had left food out of the ice-box). My hands were frozen in the act of removing my coat and I was aware of the soft flakes of snow that flecked my hair. I took in her expensive wardrobe, shiny heels, designer—pureblood wizard Galvani Gorocco—handbag, and lastly—her platinum-blood hair done up in an elegant chignon. Narcissa Malfoy stood in the middle of my tiny flat. I remained frozen and she didn't see fit to completely turn her body to face me—I was _that _insignificant.

She ran her finger along the mantelpiece and frowned when a layer of dust came up on her glove. She cleaned it off her finger and regarded me from the corner of her eyes.

My mouth opened and closed automatically, no words would coherently form and so I remained silent. Narcissa strolled through the small space between the fireplace and the couch, looking at the objects around her. She had opera-length black, leather gloves on, the handbag resting in the crook of her elbow as she held her hand up, close to her body, the other arm resting on her hip.

"Well don't just stand around gaping, offer me a seat and hurry along to make a spot of tea." She announced with the air and authority that was every bit a Malfoy. She seemed to have some sort of sway over the non-pureblood, underprivileged, I motioned for her to sit before disappearing into the kitchen. I put a kettle on the stove and waited for the water to boil, added the teabags, all without haste, I had no wish to rejoin the Mrs. Malfoy in my den.

When I re-entered the den I saw that Narcissa remained standing, her posture impossibly straight. She regarded my tray of tea with a raised blonde eyebrow. I clenched the tray tightly so that my shaking hands would not betray my emotions. I set it down on the coffee table and waited until she reluctantly lowered herself onto the armchair before sitting also sitting. She sat at the very edge, her back and neck still straight, as if there were a metal rod attached to her. I poured the tea and offered her a cup. She accepted the cup and saucer and regarded my china with a look that told me she disapproved. I stared.

"What are you doing here?"

"What a rude thing to ask a guest. You would be ostracized." She seemed to smile at that but I couldn't tell for she sipped the tea silently. As soon as the cup was back on the saucer she held it almost parallel to her body when she spoke: "And your posture will never do. Sit up straight."

I felt like I was being chastised by my mother and immediately, I straightened but she still did not approve and let it be known by pursing her lips. "My son is quite taken with you." She said before sipping—causing me to wait in suspense for her to continue. "Have you spoken to Draco?"

I gulped. "Not since I saw him last." I answered vaguely.

"Yes I'm afraid I've detained him in the Manor for the past few days, he's been most..._agitated_...about his captivity. He is extremely anxious to see _you_." She seemed to sneer when she spoke about me. I held my untouched tea, frozen by the turn in conversation—hell, I was still frozen about the fact that she was here!

"I'm sorry?" It was a question, not an apology and she scoffed, setting her tea down.

"Well, my son's taste never did run past looks," she eyed me, I was unsure if this was a compliment or not, "but he is still a Malfoy—a pureblood—and I am still his mother. As such I carry the burden of choosing his wife, the next Mrs. Malfoy. It is no easy feat I assure you." I didn't know if she meant being Mrs. Malfoy was not easy or picking a bride for Draco. Her words stung me and I stood in anger.

"Mrs. Malfoy. Please leave. Thank you for your visit, however unannounced and cumbersome it has been, but I'm afraid I'm much too busy to discuss family politics—that _apparently_ do not include me." She stood—probably fearing I would physically force her out of my flat with my dirty mudblood hands and made for the door with a regal gait.

"I am...disappointed that you are not what my son has described with such passion." She turned on her heel to face me, her body inches away from mine. "But take into account that what Draco wants, Draco gets."

I said nothing, my heart pounding faster with every word she spoke.

"I've come to terms with that, which is why if you are what my son picked, then you shall be _made_ worthy of my blessing—no matter how long that takes." There was finality in her voice as she stepped out and apparated with a final flick of her wrist and sort-of-smile.

I stood in shock. Narcissa Malfoy, out of the public eye for years, strolls up and walks into my home, disapproves of everything in it and leaves. And if Draco was so 'anxious' to see me, why should his mother detaining him stop him? I was suddenly angry and it was all because of a ten-minute visit from Mrs. Lucius Malfoy—I marvelled at how Draco had been able to stand her presence for his entire life, he had the patience of a saint!

But was he _really_ a 'saint'? That question was the only thing on my mind for the rest of the evening. Ron showed up later to watch me through the night and I didn't even try to protest this time, I was too exhausted. I felt bad that he was up until the crack of dawn—I heard him check on me in my room one last time before leaving the flat, making sure the magical barriers were in place. I stayed in bed until I was finally able to drift back off into the stupor of sleep. My dreams were too chaotic for me to make sense of them but when I woke up I was cranky and sore from my uncomfortable position in bed.

_Bang, Bang, Bang._

Why is it that this is the manner by which I now wake up to? But something was different about it, it wasn't a harsh pounding on the door, it was a lightweight knocking. I groggily got out of the safety and warmth of my bed to answer the door, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It was Narcissa again! I frowned, mostly from being woken up. I felt a sniffle building in my nose and cursed—I was coming down with a cold.

"Not up before nine, still in nightgown, and four minutes and thirty-three seconds to answer the door." She said to herself—like a checklist. I couldn't comprehend.

"W-what?" I stifled a yawn but it was wide and loud.

"Yawning in the company of guests." She seemed to mentally make another tick on her list of 'Awful Things Muggle-Born Girls Do When Raised Without Manners'.

"Door has been open for two minutes and no invitation to enter has been issued." She muttered, _loud_ enough for me to hear. I opened the door wider and swung my arm dramatically with impatience.

"Come right in." I was sarcastic but she walked past me into the den. I slammed the door and followed her. She regarded my current state of being, taking in my dishevelled appearance and wild—_huge_—hair, too-large-nightgown that huge off my shoulder, and tired, sleepy face. I stared at her in the same manner, trying to give her a taste of her own medicine—but comparing her to me? There was no contest, she won by a long shot. Her long platinum-blonde hair hung down her back but was framed away from her face with ornate hair pieces that were in co-ordinance with her outfit today. I envied her black pantsuit-like outfit when she removed her long white fur-trimmed cloak, draping it over her arm. I did _not_ envy her white, 1940s-esque shoes, complete with 4 ½ inch heels. The neckline of the pantsuit plunged dramatically, yet at the same time remained tasteful; she'd draped a single row of pearls around her slender neck—they matched her pearl earrings and priceless diamond wedding and engagement rings—I wondered vaguely how much it had cost Lucius when he was courting her; but then again it had probably been taken from the Malfoy family fortune...was Draco in line for the inheritance of said fortune? How silly of me to think of such a thing. I quickly focused on the matter at hand.

"Was there something you wanted Mrs. Malfoy?" I asked tiredly.

"I was under the impression you worked at the Ministry." It was not a question.

"Yes but I'm on leave."

"Oh yes, the little incident of your kidnapping." She brushed it off as if it were nothing.

"Oh yes," I faked the same lack of interest, "my kidnapping and _death_ were nothing, I'm sure the Head of the Department is mental for disallowing me to come in for work."

"Well it shouldn't."

I was shocked. "Well if you must know Mrs. Malfoy I thrive on working, I'm trying everything I can to get back to work." I crossed my arms triumphantly.

"So you would consider yourself more attached to your work than to your personal life? Your familial life?"

That bitch.

I remained silent, she already proved her point, I didn't want her to rub it in any further.

"Your purpose Mrs. Malfoy?" I prompted and she wrinkled her perfect nose at my impromptu manner of speaking.

"Come with me. We shall spend the day finding suitable clothes and convalescing your manners." She announced suddenly, pulling her long fur clock back onto her slender shoulders.

Narcissa Malfoy...wants to take me..._shopping_.

I wonder what Ginny would say to something like that. I had no time to ponder, she cornered me into my room so I could change quickly. My body was on autopilot—I had no idea what was going on as my brain frantically tried to make _sense_ of it all.

"This will have to do I suppose...once we acquire a suitable wardrobe you'll change before we continue." She stated, eyeing my plum-coloured cardigan, my grey sweatpants, and my trainers—I remember actually using them those few times when I would run with Ginny in the park...let's just say we _discontinued_ that venture. I grabbed my coat.

As if under the Imperius, I followed Narcissa out the door where she promptly offered her arm—stiffening to hide her shudder as I took it—and apparated us into the heart of...a city. I wasn't sure where yet but there were _plenty_ of people and buildings crammed into the small space. People pushed past, ignoring us, but some did a double-take, wondering what _I _was doing beside someone so stylish.

It was the beginning of December and people were already Christmas shopping. She led the way down the packed sidewalk—people seemed to move for her but did not for me—I passed by five Father Christmases before I stopped. I noticed the slush at the sides of the street—an early snowfall? Not in London...I looked around and the blaring honking of cabs finally hit me, yellow taxis...I frantically searched for a street sign.

_47__th__ and Broadway_

New York. America. I was in the States?!

I had no time to comprehend as Narcissa dragged me forward through the throng. We walked quite a distance, myself still catatonic, and suddenly I was grateful that I'd worn my trainers—my feet were tired but there was no discomfort.

Before I knew it we were walking into _Saks. _As in _Saks 5__th__ Avenue_. I gaped as the door was opened for us by a doorman who smiled kindly at us.

"Welcome back Mrs. Malfoy!" One of the patrons said as we walked into the pristine store. The woman was as tall and regal as Narcissa but lacked the air of known prestige. She led her forward to the back area—with me struggling to look at everything with my jaw on the floor.

"Close your mouth it's rude." Narcissa said quietly so that only I could hear. She stepped into the dressing cubicle and I followed shortly after. I wondered what was going on.

"I just didn't think that you of all people would shop in a muggle world..." The words died in my mouth as I found myself back in the store, only this time it was different somehow.

She scoffed. "Of course I wouldn't. It's not a muggle store. Andrew Saks, the founder, was a wizard. Unfortunate, his passing." She tutted. She stood, waiting for an attendant who all but ran forward to greet us.

"Mrs. Malfoy, lovely to see you again." He waved his wand and a cup of tea was conjured for her—he didn't notice me so I didn't speak. I looked around the store in the meantime they chatted. There were many women who gave off the same vibe as Narcissa and I recognized only a few of them: Mrs. Norsebaum, Leslie Forthswyth who was engaged to Mrs. Norsebaum's eldest son William, the Widow Larken, and many more. I was in shock. The street outside was fairly empty, a few witches with their husbands strode along in their fineries. So we were in some sort of alternate world, the Magical New York?

"And who is..._this_?" I had a feeling he would have said 'that' had he not caught himself in time.

"Oh Joseph you know how I love to take on charity cases." She covered easily with a dazzling smile. He smiled as well while I glared at both of them.

"Of course!" He claimed, as if remembering himself. "Come right this way, should we start with..." He trailed off, looking me up and down.

"Everything." Narcissa provided.

"Lingerie then." He said gravely, leading the way to the upstairs of the giant building. I wondered vaguely if this was still _Saks_. I voiced my thoughts so that only Narcissa could hear.

"They all converge thanks to a spell Andrew came up with before his death, he devised that all the major stores, then and now, should unite under one roof. Today we shall be going to all the major magical stores: _Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Nicole Fahri, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Valentino, Vera Wang, Yves Saint Laurent,_ to name a few."

A few.

Right.

"I'm confused, aren't these all muggle designers and brand-names?"

Narcissa laughed. "That is what every muggle and uneducated magical person thinks. How else do you think they became famous? _Luck_?" She spat the word, "No, a simple magical charm allowed them to live their lives, providing the best for the best. And then they thought, why not provide to those who are wealthy, despite their lack of magic? And so you only know them by their façade." It was a hasty explanation but I understood and was shocked. All these years they've been operating, in secret, but in plain sight! All to turn a profit.

***

I stood in the change rooms, uncomfortable and awkward as Narcissa and Joseph scrutinized me in the lingerie they picked out. I hugged myself in an effort to be less visible but it did not stop their gaze and chorus of 'hmm's.

"I much rather like the lace ones." She commented and I replied sternly in my head: _No, I much rather did __**not**__ like the lace ones, I prefer my own!_

"Yes you're right. I'll get a few more and we'll see how those turn out." He rushed out through the curtained section that was the entrance to the change rooms and came back almost instantly—I hadn't had time to voice my thoughts to Narcissa _alone_. He handed the new pieces of undergarments to me and Narcissa raised an eyebrow when I did not take them. I sighed and grabbed them rudely before disappearing into the lavish change room the store provided for me.

A few—_fifty_—sets of lingerie and undergarments later we made our way to the front to pay. When Narcissa drew out her purse I protested.

"Nonsense, you're..._family_...now," I could tell the word was unfamiliar and difficult on her tongue but she forced it out. "My son is quite serious and therefore I am also serious. This is as much his fortune as it is mine." She shelled out 930 galleons—I nearly fell over—that was 6,835 American dollars—all my arithmancy classes paid off. But I gaped as she willingly parted with that much money.

"Pick your jaw up off the floor, it's rude. And stand up straight." She criticized without looking at me.

"We'll have these sent straight to the Manor." The clerk announced with a dazzling smile and Narcissa nodded, turning to find Joseph.

"Ah, now for the clothes." Joseph sing-songed and I was reluctantly pulled to the upper floors.

***

345,600.

345, 600 American dollars. That was the cost of my new wardrobe—or what Narcissa would call: 'a base for you to build up on.' 47,020 Galleons for clothes. I was surprised I didn't have a coronary the first time the witch announced it.

Narcissa 'put it on her tab' and I stared at her in shock. She picked one of the outfits—a cream-white flutter skirt and matching silk blouse complete with cowl neckline.

"I do hope you're taking notes, I won't always be here with you to guide you." She said as we made our way out of the clothing sections of the building—this had taken up most of the day and night was falling through the floor-to-ceiling windows that covered almost every wall of the building. It was a large building but once inside I felt as if it were ten giant buildings connected by seamless halls of luxury. A few witches browsed with their personal shoppers, champagne in hand and Joseph arrived moments later handing us both champagne—I had no time to drink mine for they had me in and out of clothes faster than I could breathe. We walked across a marble bridge that overlooked the stores below.

We were suddenly in what could be described as Ginny' version of Heaven.

Shoes lined every surface.

Designer shoes. Heels—I cringed, but I knew that Narcissa would frown at my own thoughts of being comfortable.

We spent 8, 430 dollars—1,146 Galleons—on shoes, which was not bad once you hear it, but once you hear that it was only on one pair of—heels—your mouth falls open. I discovered that she only needed my shoe size. She said discreetly to Joseph to pick out the best of the best using his newfound knowledge of my foot structure.

"I think we need to relax now. Am I right?" She seemed to coo the words and when she put her arm around my waist I stiffened—Narcissa, showing..._motherly_ love?

We were now on the eighth floor (the first being the façade of the magical buildings, second floor was lingerie, third, fourth, fifth and sixth were clothes, and seventh was shoes); I discovered this was the 'spa' floor. Everything from oils and rubs to lotions and hair-care could be found on this floor. I was nostalgic when she examined a bottle of _Sleekeazy's Hair Potion_.

Joseph returned fairly quickly and I felt my stomach knot, how many pairs of shoes could he have picked in such a short time? I didn't have time to think about it before they ushered me through to the stylists who waited eagerly.

A few witches were already being pampered and I gulped as they sat me down. The stylist tutted, twirling her wand in her fingers, her sleeves rolled up. I wondered vaguely if they hired only beautiful people, for she, like all the other employees had a certain quality about them.

"The hair. We must do something about that hair." She announced and Joseph and Narcissa agreed.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys i know i said before this is the last chapter but it got so long and there are a bunch of loose ends i need to tie up so this is the second last one :P so the next will be the last unless you guys want me to add some more? let me know through reviews you guys are great! thanks! R&R!!!

**A/N: UPDATE: Fixed this chapter, although I think it was fine before :P Maybe a few spelling errors, "my" instead of "me" etc. so yeah! One more chappie!!! Please let me know what you think so far!**


	7. Redemption

**Disclaimer: JK-Mastermind Me-imagination :P **

**Crossroad Blues**

"_Is that your answer?"_

"_No."_

"'_No'?"_

Epilogue: Redemption

It was strange. I didn't know how to describe my feelings in that moment. They'd finished taming my hair—nothing was cut, thank God, but it was now glossy and swept back into an elegant—'effortless' in Narcissa's words—updo. She had been absent—getting her own hair and nails touched up—and she dragged me off after the stylist was through with me. We crossed another bridge and I found myself in a sparkling wonderland.

_Tiffany and Co._ the plaque read. Narcissa decided to give me a little back-story on the founder.

"My great-great-great Grandfather, Cygnus Black the First, was a business associate of Charles Tiffany's. Cygnus' wife was best friends with Charles' pureblood wife—Harriet Olivia Aveny Young. This is quite interesting," her tone of voice made it seem like it was a privilege for a muggle-born girl with no connections to know this. "In those days there were frequent spelling errors and they misspelled Harriet's name. It was originally Harriet Olivia _Avery_ Young. But Charles had horrid writing and so the error was recorded on their marriage certificate."

I was too amazed to be listening, the sparkling jewels shimmered under the lights of night-time New York—the darkened buildings outside were given shapes through their lights and I could see the younger generations of the purebloods strolling the streets below, dressed finely for an evening soiree.

"Yes he was very fond of our family. His daughter Annie married into the Malfoy family."

Lucius probably got a discount on the rings then, being some sort of distant relative to a diamond fortune. I wasn't bitter.

She went around, picking out beautiful necklaces, earrings, and rings for 'casual' wear. If those were casual, I think I would faint when we got to the 'eveningwear'. She draped them across me, even pinning in some earrings to get the full effect against my new look. I felt the full, heavy weight of the jewels once they were placed on me and I protested that she add anything more—my neck felt like it would snap with the added weight of 80 carat earrings and a 98 carat necklace. I had no idea what the carat weightings were but once I glanced at a price I nearly swooned—and I was not the swooning type.

"Yes this would work splendidly with the navy Chanel piece, do you remember that one?" She asked me and I nodded, trying to remember that _one outfit_ out of the hundreds of outfits we'd bought today. "I won't always be here with you when you update your wardrobe." She announced over her shoulder for the second time that day. What did she mean? What was she implying? I felt my stomach do back flip but I pressed my hands against it; I wouldn't hope for stupid dreams, I wouldn't set myself up for disaster. She was merely being nice...yes, nice, that was it. She felt that buying me new clothes, shoes and accessories would be doing a good thing in the world. Like she said: I was a charity case.

Yes. That was it. Narcissa Malfoy was being _nice._

I passed by costume jewellery and instantly there was a memory of a masquerade ball at the Malfoy Manor—my fantasy. There was a wide variety of things before me under the glass. Headpieces, masks, facial jewellery, hairpieces, pieces for the dress or dress-robe. Some of the items were enchanted and until that moment I forgot this was Magical New York. They changed colour in a brilliant display of rainbow-lights.

"Ah, this is lovely." I heard Narcissa say and I curiously went over to where she was, my new shoes clicking against the marble of the floor.

I nearly slipped as I made to stand beside her to see what she was examining. The jeweller was smiling, showing Narcissa her pick.

It was probably the most gorgeous diamond ring I'd ever seen. Or ever _will _see.

"Holy bloody bugger." I swore softly—ignoring the look the jeweller gave me.

It had a giant diamond in the centre, flanked by two smaller diamonds—compared to the middle diamond. The band seemed to be made of hundreds of smaller diamonds that gleamed, showing off their clean shine to the room. It seemed that the few witches in the giant room turned their heads to look—their husbands had a sour look on their faces and I assumed that they were saying 'Thanks, now _I_ have to buy _her_ something better.'—I couldn't tear my eyes away from the ring for long though. Narcissa looked at the jeweller and without saying a word she seemed to ask the question of price.

"272,108 Galleons." She announced, as if to dare the audience in the room to listen. "Mined in caverns of eastern Denmark, the clarity..." She droned on explaining its brilliance but I was still stuck on the price. I quickly did the mental math. It would turn out to be around 2,000,000 American dollars; 1,209,594 £.

_Two __**million**__ dollars!_ I had to stop calculating and converting the amounts before I fainted.

Before I knew it I felt something cold slide up my finger and I looked down. It was the ring. The jeweller resized it with her wand and I was breathless, it was stunning. The younger witches in the glass-filled hall stared enviously at my finger which housed the sparkling diamond. Narcissa pulled it off faster than I could blink.

"Not today perhaps." She said curtly to the witch, handing it back to her. The jeweller placed it delicately on the velvet cushion and stowed it in the back—it hadn't even been on display. Narcissa turned to me and gave me a dazzling smile—her eyes revealed that she was still a cold-hearted bitch deep down. "I believe Joseph is waiting for us down on the second floor. I think it's time for us to leave." I turned away and began to walk back to the bridge to take the lifts down but when I glanced back I saw Narcissa whisper something to the jeweller discretely. I frowned but paid no heed to it as I entered the lifts, putting my arm out so that they didn't close—I vaguely wondered if they would, being in Magical New York would probably mean they wouldn't—Narcissa's heels clacked loudly as she swiftly made her way into the lifts.

"We must do something about your posture and manner of speech tomorrow." She said, her iciness back in a second. I rubbed my thumb against my fourth finger absently, remembering the feel of the ring against it.

***

Joseph informed Narcissa with a winning smile that all of our days' purchases had been sent to the Manor—a few had been sent to my flat—and she thanked him with a light hug and peck on the cheek. "Until next time darling." She said, pulling her gloves on. He helped her into her coat and then he helped me into mine (new one). He gave me a peck on the cheek—apparently liking the new me a lot better than the me who walked in this morning.

We took the lifts once more to the first floor and then we walked through the magic change room into the muggle world.

"Goodnight Mrs. Malfoy." A woman said as we passed her. Narcissa made no comment and did not acknowledge hearing her as she pulled on her gloves and we passed the remaining employees in the giant store. It was closing hours and the few straggling shoppers made their way outside into the still-busy streets of New York. Muggle New York was just as busy in the night as it was in the day. Narcissa took my arm and apparated us back to the front step of my flat. I was glad—I'd never cross-country apparated and was afraid I'd splinch myself. Ron told me it was unpleasant experience so I had no desire to test it out.

"Well, it's been quite a day. But I hope you've learned something Miss Granger." She told me, checking her outfit to make sure everything was in place.

"Um. Yes. Thank you for everything, really. I don't know how I'm going to pay you back one day but—"

"'Pay you back'? What is that?" She asked, genuinely confused at my phrase.

"For all the things you've bought me. I would feel extremely guilty if I didn't give you your money back—" I broke off at the horrified look on her face.

"Pay me back..." She repeated, and I was sure she was in shock. Suddenly a flush of her cheeks confirmed she was angry. I took a small step back. "Miss Granger." She took me by the shoulders and I was surprised by her strong grip. ".." I could tell every word hurt her as she forced it out of her mouth, flinching slightly. "What is ours is yours. And so your new things were bought with your money." I was confused.

"But—"

"Tomorrow morning. Nine AM. Be awake..._dear_." She added too late and it had the sombre effect rather than awakening a pleasant feeling. She bid me goodnight with an awkward hug before disappearing. I stood on my step for at least five minutes before entering my flat, still confused.

It was all a dream. It had to be. I opened the door to my flat but the door was wrenched open before I could get a foot through the door.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Ginny shouted as she pulled me in. I saw Harry and Ron by the fireplace looking murderous. I gulped. It was going to be a long night of explaining.

***

"Narcissa Malfoy...took...you..._you_...**shopping**." Ginny said, dumbstruck. Ron was still trying to get past the whole 'Narcissa showed up two days ago' thing, Harry was awestruck at the amount of money the Malfoy's had. They were also shocked at my new look.

"Well then..." Ron kept saying.

"272,108 Galleons." Harry kept repeating.

"I need to see those shoes." Ginny announced seriously.

"They're at the Manor." I said quietly, though they all heard me. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"What does _that_ mean?"

"I have no idea...look I'm so exhausted, could you all possibly come around later tomorrow?" I explained I had another appointment with Narcissa and they were dumbstruck.

"Why are you doing this?" Ron spat.

"Look if there's a possibility that I could see Draco—" I caught myself too late and Ginny's face softened, a smile appearing on her lips. Ron fumed and was redder than before and Harry set his jaw, clearing his throat quietly.

"We'd better leave. It's late." Harry announced and the Weasley siblings all but jumped on him.

"WHAT?" Exclaimed Ron. "I think I'd better stay the night." Ginny said at the same time.

She only wanted to hear more. I wasn't having any of it.

"No please, all of you just please go home and rest. I'll tell you more when I can. Just...please go. Goodnight." I said kindly and softly as to not hurt their feelings. Harry kissed my cheek, Ginny hugged me and I could feel the hardness of her stomach press against mine, and Ron—grumbling and incompliant—kissed my cheek before following them out.

I sighed a long, exhausted sigh before retiring. Before falling into a deep, fitful sleep.

***

I awoke promptly before nine, put a kettle of tea on while I got ready. I washed my face, trying to wake up my tired, sleep-filled eyes. And changed into one of my better outfits with my newfound knowledge and I was standing at the door, waiting for her knock at eight fifty-nine. On her second knock I opened the door with a smile. It was my competitive nature to take her advice and 'lessons' to heart. I wanted to prove her wrong.

The tea simmered in their cups on the coffee table as I welcomed her in.

She said nothing of my new attitude and manners but simply nodded as she crossed the threshold. "Good morning."

"Good morning Mrs. Malfoy." I replied, shutting the door.

"I have a few errands to run this morning if you don't mind." She said, removing her felt gloves, placing them on her lap as we sat. She wore a myrtle-green scoop-neck dress and completed the outfit with black stilettos and black onyx-set jewels in her ears and around her neck. Her wedding and engagement rings flashed every time she reached for her cup on the saucer in her right hand.

"Not at all." I replied.

"Good, I suggest we meet at the Manor at around eleven for brunch?" She suggested—God this was weird. It was like living out an Austen or Brontë novel with their courtesy calls and tea and manners. _Draco would be my Mr. Darcy_. WHAT? Stupid stray thought...I mentally beat at it with a bat...a _metal_ bat. _Draco in the rain, arguing with me like Darcy and Lizzy._ Stupid Thought. Go away. I'm being girly and full of upper-class manners. Go. Shoo.

I widened my eyes in an attempt to pay attention.

"Eleven. Brunch. Fantastic."

"Mhm..." She seemed lost in thought and glanced at me only once. I was waiting for her lectures. "Your posture will be worked on then." She stood and I stood too late, nearly knocking over the tray of tea. She did not let that go unnoticed. "And your..._skills_."

After she left I had a small moment of anger. What was that for? Waking me up before nine just to serve her tea? I wanted to shout, to relieve my anger but Draco's face swam past my vision. I shook my head. Damn. Well I would've been awake anyway for work. _Work!_ I suddenly remembered. I had to ask Harry if he'd made any headway convincing the Head of the Department to let me come work again. I wrote Harry a hurried letter, explaining to him and Ginny where I'd be for the morning if not the whole day.

Eleven. I had two hours. A stray thought nagged at me—no, not Draco in the rain, although it just resurfaced with me thinking about it, damn—no, something about money. I grabbed my new coat from yesterday's excursions and made my way out, apparating to Diagon Alley.

***

I twisted my fingers nervously as I rode the roller-coaster-like ride to my vault. The goblin did not move fast enough. I cursed under my breath as he wheezed, making his way to my door. It was out of the way and smaller than most because I was muggle-born so I had to establish my own dingy vault when I entered Hogwarts. My parents had helped, giving me 24, 170 £, roughly 40,000 American dollars, when I graduated Hogwarts (every year I'd attended the school they'd give me enough to convert into Galleons for my school supplies and such); I'd built on what I was given through my years of working with the Ministry but when the goblin went left instead of right I hesitated. I rarely checked my vault but I knew it was always on the right.

"Um..." I began but he beckoned me forward as he opened a different vault.

"Here you are Miss."

"But..."

"It was too much to fit into your personal vault, so he requested that we open this one for you instead."

It was a _huge_ vault—wait 'he'?

"He?" I questioned.

"Mr. Malfoy of course." The goblin said. And I felt myself slowly getting angrier. As I saw the amount of gold reaching for the high ceiling in my new vault I nearly fainted. "He set this up for you. Your private account. All of your monthly income and allowance will be stored in this vault with the best security."

"Allowance?" I was still unable to talk, the anger formed a ball in my throat.

"If you would like to go to the Malfoy family vault I must—"

I held up a hand, cutting him off.

"Please take me back." I could feel the tears of anger ebb at the corners of my eyes.

***

The goblin seemed to sense my anger and was beside himself with fright as I scrambled out of the cart, leaving Gringrotts.

I passed the witches and wizards crowding the streets of Diagon Alley and in my blind rage I'd knocked over a few children—which I was sorry for later, but not in that moment.

Once at the apparition point I turned on the spot, grinding my heel into the dirt with more vigour than usual and then found myself outside the Manor Grounds. I promptly stomped my way up the gravel road and past the gate, up the drive and steps to the front doors. I banged on them with both of my fists, unceremoniously, relentlessly.

They opened and I nearly forgot what I was mad about. Seeing him for the first time in days—has it been weeks yet?—brought forth an emotion that closed my throat. He stood before me garbed in his boxers—_just_ his boxers—with his hair tousled from sleep, a bowl of some breakfast food in his hand, a shocked expression on his gorgeous, chiselled face.

"What is your problem?" I shouted once I found my voice. He was silent, still in shock. "What's _wrong _with you? You haven't spoken to me or seen me in weeks," –I decided that it would be week**s** because I wanted to make him feel worse about it—"then you arbitrarily send your _mother_ to teach me some upper-class manners and then, AND THEN!" I was so overcome with rage that my thoughts made me sound crazy and erratic as I just remembered some of them. "YOU BUY ME NEW CLOTHES AND THINGS AND **GIVE ME MONEY**? WHAT IS **THAT** ALL ABOUT MALFOY? Do you think you can **OWN** me? Is that what you're trying to do? **Buy **me?" I screamed, my voice echoing across the lush, impeccable lawns of the Malfoy Manor. I paused in my rant, sucking in air, taking note that his mouth had opened wider from the added shock.

Silence....Well, this isn't really how I expected him to react—shout, rant, cry, even become violent—but never silence, submissiveness. I crossed my arms in anger; usually in the novels they would argue back and in the midst of their passionate anger they'd grab your face and kiss you but he just..._stood_ there holding his breakfast. I admired his toned body—_wonder if Mr. Darcy had a body like that_—DAMN it's loose again. The Stupid Stray Thought...I've got to do something about that soon.

"Well you can forget about it, because the way to a girl's heart is not through diamonds and fancy things." _Maybe it was about diamonds a little bit..._I was still thinking of that bloody ring_._I was about to continue when he dropped the bowl—it shattered at his bare feet and I winced, what if he'd cut himself!

"It's you." He whispered simply.

...I was at a loss for words.

He seemed to reach out to touch me but I took a step back in defiance, he took one forward and I took three back. HA!—oh how stupid I could be. My foot came into contact with nothing as I slipped backwards down the stone steps that led up the doors.

***

I came to sometime later. The room spun as I opened my eyes, there was a dull throbbing at the back of my head but I could tell it had been a lot worse. I moaned as I tried to sit up but a hand pushed my gently back down.

"Now now dear, gently." It was Narcissa and I groaned once more, this time it wasn't about the pain I felt. I sat up with some effort but I was able to take in my surroundings—the gigantic den, the roaring fire in the fireplace, the light flakes of snow drifting past the floor-to-ceiling windows—the first snowfall of December in London.

"Draco..." I mumbled, remembering the last thing I saw.

"I sent him off to run an errand for me." Narcissa said, too dismissively. I glanced around suspiciously, not believing Mrs. Malfoy, expecting to see Draco around the corner. Hiding like a coward. _No, he's probably off brooding like Dar—_FINISH THAT SENTANCE, AND DIE THOUGHT. Narcissa noticed the pained expression on my face.

"Tea dear?"

I lost it.

"NO! I don't want your tea or your money, or _pity_, I want to talk to Draco, _now_!" Manners be damned I stood and nearly knocked over the tray. Narcissa remained composed and I wanted to slap her suddenly. "Why have you been keeping him here? Against his will? How do you expect me to believe he couldn't just walk out the door to see me those days ago?" I balled up my hands at my sides to keep them from shaking in anger. Narcissa sipped her tea quietly, her long legs neatly arranged into a proper manner of sitting-style.

She set the cup on the saucer and I took note of their ancient, expensive quality. I know now why she disapproved of my set.

"There is an ancient form of magic that binds purebloods." She said simply. Like she'd said two plus two equals four.

I waited.

"Ancient form of magic that forces Draco to break off all contact with me?"

"Precisely. The magic binds the wives to their husbands and the children to their parents. It also binds the servants to the family. Wherever we go, they go."

That explained the empty manor and I guessed it'd been empty save for Draco since Lucius left. She continued.

"If I tell my son he is not to see or speak with you until I say then he will obey. He is bound to my word."

So he's your bitch? I didn't say that but still...

"And why are you doing all this?" I didn't specify but she understood I meant making me over.

"To make Lucius change his mind."

I was caught off-guard and I felt my eyes widen, eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Your husband." I stated stupidly. Gosh I wasn't really living up to my title of know-it-all was I?

"My say on the choice of wife my son takes matters not unless my husband, who has the last say in anything, consents." She put her cup and saucer down on the black oak table before her, "this may shock you, but I care for my son's happiness."

It did shock me.

"Remember when I told you what my son wants, he gets?"

I nodded silently.

"If I _did_ forbid Draco from seeing you, talking to you, ever mentioning you again, he would fall into a corner and brood for the rest of his days."

_Told you he'd brood like Darcy, like a __**man**__._ I was never going to win against this damned rogue Thought. Narcissa stood and walked over to the fireplace, her heels muted by the lush carpet.

"And if Lucius ordered Draco to create a marriage union with another pureblood family he would be obliged to do so—but the sacrifice would be his happiness." Her hands clasped, her face a mask, I couldn't tell if she was sincere.

"And you believe that _I_ am the cause of his happiness?" Gosh, I couldn't picture Draco happy about anything, I couldn't even picture a real _smile_ on his sculpture of a face.

"I do." She was serious.

"I—I need to leave I can't deal with this."

"Is this how you intend to solve your problems? By running away from them?"

I wanted to slap her but instead I squeezed my hands tighter, creating crescent-shaped indentations in my palm. I nearly screamed out of frustration.

"You can't just _marry_ me to your son! We haven't even gone on a date for Merlin's sake! You can't just bind me to some arranged marriage I had no knowledge of. We don't even know each other—"

"I was under the impression that you and my son have known each other since you were both eleven years old."

"Yes, but—"

"And do you not know Draco more than he knows himself?" She added quietly. I was humbled by this comment.

"I wouldn't say I know him—"

"He's changed because of _you_. That is all he will tell me about his new outlook on life. Falling in love with a...muggle born is proof of that change." I knew she caught herself at the last second, she would've said 'mudblood'. It didn't bother me actually, Draco had only said it that one time—well twice, but who's counting really?—in school. Woah. Back up a second. My brain was starting to function like the me I knew and loved.

"'Love'?" I questioned and her eyes glittered with some emotion I couldn't name.

There was silence and the grandfather clock ticked loudly, the December snow falling lightly outside the windows.

"What does Lucius matter in all of this?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Without my husband's consent, Draco will lose everything. His title, money, the Manor, and he will be shunned from the pureblood society."

"He'll be shunned anyway if he marries me." I stated.

"Only if he marries you without consent."

"What about the consent of _my_ parents?"

"Oh yes, you're muggle parents. Well, he may introduce himself to them if you find it prudent." She waved her hand, dismissing my family as if they were nothing.

"Yes I find it _prudent_. Even a _mudblood_ such as I have morals that I must abide to."

"Oh darling, don't be too harsh on yourself." She gave me a smile that lacked warmth, trying to brush off the insulting title given to me in my tween years.

"I have to leave." I said suddenly. I couldn't stand to be in a room with Narcissa Malfoy any longer than necessary. I gathered my things and stumbled out the front doors without saying goodbye. I walked briskly, ankle-deep in snow and frozen, I arrived at the apparition point and vanished back to my flat.

Was she right? Did I run away from my problems?

***

A knock on my door. A few seconds later I sighed and got up to answer it. Harry. I hugged him and inquired about going back to work.

He hesitated, sitting down on the couch with me. I had my answer.

"Hermione...you were dead..."

"But I'm not anymore." I was tired of being treated like a weakling. I was _fine_ now.

"And I think that garners another week off—" I cut him off, desperate and, by now, hysterical.

"ANOTHER WEEK?! No Harry, I need to go back to work right now. I can't stand it; Malfoy family interventions, money, family politics, marriage—" His turn to cut me off.

"'Marriage' what are you talking about?"

I sighed, then explained everything to Harry—it took a good two hours, the remnants of noon were gone and the day was wasted—Gosh, how did we go from eleven in the morning to five in the evening? Was I knocked out for longer than I'd estimated? When I was through, Harry sat, stunned.

"So...are you going to say yes?"

"What?" I was the one who was stunned now.

"If he asks you, what will you say?"

I hadn't thought about it—NO, no, I will not fall into a trap. I will refuse of course! I realised that I'd said none of that out-loud and bit my lip.

"I have no idea." I put my face in my hands and wallowed.

"I know you'll know what to say Hermione, you always do." He said cryptically before rising and patting my shoulder gently. "Don't be mad."

"What?" I looked up as he opened the door.

Draco.

My heart stopped for the second time in my life.

"Just hear him out..." Harry began, and I glared at him, his face was guilty and he knew what I was thinking. _Traitor!_

Harry slowly backed out of the door with a silent exchange of looks between him and Draco—I wonder if Ron knew about this...this _plot! Evil plot!_ That's what this was.

I stood when Draco entered, my hands fists at my sides.

"Hermione."

"Let me stop you _Malfoy_. I've already expressed my views on you..._marrying_ me without ever going on a single date or meeting my parents—"

"Oh..." There was something he tried to hide but I couldn't tell what it was. "I...already saw your parents. Your father's quite fond of me actually, and they both give their blessing."

This wasn't happening.

"But I came here to ask you...would you—"

"HOLD ON A SECOND....wait just, just wait alright? I need time to think about this and to yell at people I thought I could trust..." I said, thinking of Harry and my parents. I took in the fact that he was wearing a suit and was looking very suave. I put my hands over my eyes in an attempt to calm down.

"I just wanted to take you out for dinner..." He said quietly and I looked up, startled.

"I'll find something to wear then..." I trailed off, a small smile playing on my lips, he made no move to leave and his body language indicated he would wait.

Well then...

***

We went to the Waterside Inn restaurant—an obviously expensive and upper-class place to eat dinner but I remained silent until we were seated and ordered—well, Draco ordered _for_ me, recommending a plate I couldn't even pronounce.

The waiter returned and placed the plate before me with much flourish. I thanked him quietly as he took a step back to be on guard should our wine glasses need filling. The awkward silence was driving me mad, I wanted him to say something so that I could hear something other than Chopin's _Nocturne_ in the background. He only stared at me with intensity that made me look down at my sparse plate. _100 £ for __**this**__? _My mind wandered. What was wrong with me? I was complaining about Draco not even taking me on a first date, and yet here we were. Gosh I was selfish. I should go ahead and say something.

"The fish—"

"You look—"

We both spoke at the same time. He cleared his throat and motioned for me to continue.

"It's...great." I concluded lamely.

"You look beautiful." _Tonight_ I mentally added, it was the standard comment of a date.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"You look beautiful every time I see you." I looked up again, he was still looking at me with intensity. "I wanted to let you know that...I've changed. I'm...not the same person you _knew_."

More silence.

The piano played on, the solemn tune was beautiful and complicated—much like Draco.

Dinner was eaten quickly—as if we both knew how this night was unsalvageable—but instead of leaving out the front he took me out the back and I found we were walking on a little bridge that sloped over the still waters.

We stopped at the apex of the little bridge and I leaned on the wooden rail, looking at the scenery around me. I was dressed in a cream-coloured Versace dress and white two-inch heels.

Draco wrapped his arms around me and I suddenly felt light and airy, this was where I belonged, enclosed in his strong arms. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, sighing.

"Tired?"

"Confused." I replied.

"Well how about I clear things up for you..." He leaned around and I turned my head and he kissed me deeply. Gosh what would Ron think? Seeing his enemy making out with his best friend? I hoped he wasn't arbitrarily taking a stroll around the restaurant. But then again, it was a beautiful night.

Suddenly I felt stupid. Why did I need a first date with Draco? I practically grew up with him in school. I_ do _know him, the _real_ him and I know myself enough to know that I was scared...of the commitment Draco was 'forcing' upon me, scared of the future...of _a_ future, with Draco Malfoy. I had my answer, and suddenly, I wasn't scared anymore, only invigorated.

I turned to voice my thoughts to Draco when I was nearly blinded.

Opened before me was a box, a small box. That box housed the most spectacular piece of jewellery I'd ever seen. The ring..._The_Ring, the one from Tiffany, the one Mrs. Malfoy had asked to see—suddenly I remembered:

"_Draco..."_

"_I sent him off to run an errand for me." _She had been _too_ evasive on the matter. He was in New York. In Tiffany. Buying the Ring.

It was a being unto itself and so deserved a capital letter. Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana it was amazing. Even more so under the moonlight. I gaped at its brilliance and almost didn't hear Draco when he spoke.

"Will you marry me?" He was _smiling_. It was a small tugging at the corners of his mouth but it was a smile!

"I can't..." _believe you're smiling, a __**genuine **__smile!_ But I didn't finish and the smile disappeared when he heard my words.

"Is that your answer?"

"No," I replied hastily, trying to salvage the moment.

"'No'?" His eyebrows raised, he leaned backward but I grabbed him by the lapels of his black dinner jacket and yanked him forward.

I shook my head, "Ask me again." I needed a do-over.

"If that was your answer?" He was feigning confusion with another dazzling smile and I laughed, bowing my head in defeat. I put my hands on either side of his face.

"Yes. I will marry you. Yes. Yes. Yes." Something wet on my cheeks—tears? I was crying? Really? Merlin, I was living every cliché in the book.

"After everything I've said and done to you? After I was an ass in school?"

_Don't make me change my mind_ I joked to myself. I sobered and looked deeply into his eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore because you saved me." He saved me in the literal sense and that was worth a thousand redemptions.

"No..._you_ saved _me_."

He reached forward and gripped my hips, pulling me close, my arms around his neck. He then kissed me. _Passionately_. I felt like sticking it to Lizzy Bennet in that moment—Draco Malfoy was indeed no Fitzwilliam Darcy—he was _better_.

* * *

A/N: YAYYYYYY FINISHED! :D:D:D:D:D:D Hope you all liked it and enjoyed the journey, I hope it was a satisfactory ending, and if you all want more please voice it in your reviews which are **much** appreciated and have kept me going through my time of suffering (all my data being lost off my USBs, effectively putting a halt to **Fix You** my other story, please R&R that as well! :P) Alright so this was the epilogue but whoever said epilogues couldn't have thier _own_ epilogues ? ;) LOL if you guys are amazing (which you are) you shall review and you shall recieve a cookieeee!!!! Once again, I hope you all loved it, thanks so much for following this until the end!

-k-


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